


Shadows of the Knight

by QuirkyPanda



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Arkham (Video Games)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alfred is the best hands down, Attempted Murder, Batman is a furry and we all know it, Batmobile and the Batwing get stolen, Dialogue Heavy, Dino Nuggies!!, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explosions, Gabrielle has crackhead energy and I'm sorry for it, Gen, I wanna tell you to take this seriously but honestly there's too many crack moments, Ian is that ignored middle child, Kidnapping, Mild Gore, Murder, No Warehouses were harmed in the making of this fanfiction, Nobody in Gotham remembers him, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, This is a mix of crack fanfiction and regular fanfiction, Threats of Violence, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:28:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21862219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuirkyPanda/pseuds/QuirkyPanda
Summary: It's no secret that Gotham is a wonderland for criminals. But for years now, Batman and his family have been the city's guardians, protecting its citizens from the never-ending chaos. While each member of the Bat-Family has been in the limelight, there is one who remains unknown. His name is Ian Li also known as (K)Night Shadow. Though he's used to remaining in the darkness, Ian will be thrust into the center of conflict when he meets Gabrielle, a young woman who has some sensitive information that could upend Gotham's heroes and the villains of Gotham are after it. Can Ian and the rest of the Bat-Family keep her out of the wrong hands or will she sell them out for the right price?
Kudos: 1





	1. Robin 2.5

**Author's Note:**

> This was created with hypnolordx from Deviantart. We have already written quite a bit of this story (we started writing this in March) and we can't wait to upload more. We hope you enjoy! Please leave comments and kudos. They fuel us.

It’s a cold, dreary night in Gotham, like most nights in this crime-ridden city. A light drizzle fell softly, neon lights brightening the city, deceptively beautiful, and apart from the occasional siren and raised voices, all was quiet. The business buildings of the Upper Eastside towered over the rundown, crumbling brownstone buildings of the Bowrey. Three ski-masked crooks scampered into an alleyway, bags full of money. A successful robbery of a small Gotham National branch. The trio paused in the middle of the alleyway, stupidly looking over their spoils. They did not notice a shadowy figure, reminiscent of the Dark Knight himself, watching from a nearby rooftop.

> “Too easy.” The first criminal remarks as the three of them start counting the money they got.
> 
> “I got the cashier’s watch too.” The second one joins in, holding the watch up to the night sky when out of the corner of his eye, he sees someone from the rooftops as the moves back. “H-hey guys...I don’t think we’re alone…” he tells his friends, now nervously looking around for what he saw.
> 
> “What, you think Batman’s already here?” the third criminal joked overconfidently. “I heard he’s busy, one of those weirdos in costume escaped or something like that. He ain’t gonna be after us.”
> 
> “B-but, I saw something, I swear!” he shouted, getting more paranoid.
> 
> “Relax, man. Batman ain’t here, alright? Repeat after me…Batman ain’t-” as if to contradict the first crook’s comment, a caped figure descended from above, landing effortlessly in front of them. The crooks jumped back, believing they were about to get a vicious “Bat-beating”, but a closer look proved that this really wasn’t Batman at all.

His suit was mostly black, while the cape and arm spikes did have certain similarities to Batman’s costume, it was missing the iconic ears, and the mask fully covered the face. His chest bore a similar bat-logo, outlined in gold while the inside remained black. Hints of gold-lined his gauntlets, belt, and boots; this was not Batman, this was (K)Night Shadow.

> “Ah crap, it’s Nightwing!” The first crook shouted.
> 
> “Dude, Nightwing doesn’t have a cape!” The third one corrected him.
> 
> “I think that’s….Red Hood?” The second one said before he was hit on the back of his head.
> 
> “You see red on him, idiot?!” They continued to argue over (K)Night Shadow’s name, they clearly didn’t see him before now.

Inside the mask, Ian Li could feel his eyes roll. He was used to this sort of thing, he wasn’t as well known as some of his adopted siblings, some would even say he was completely unfamous, but Ian wasn’t really in this for fame anyway.

> “Whatever…” he muttered to himself, and within seconds (K)Night Shadow leaped into action. Using small flash bombs from his belt, he blinded the crooks and began to fight them one by one. The first guy easily went down after (K)night Shadow knocked him to the ground, the second guy was more startled and swung wildly at him as his vision started to recover.

(K)Night Shadow weaved out of each attack and from a different pouch from his belt threw a small capsule that released some bolas that disarmed and wrapped the crook up, making it easy for (K)Night Shadow to knock him out. The last one had his sight back and he had a gun on him too, he aimed it at the vigilante ready to fire, but (K)Night Shadow had a way around that. Using his cape like a whip, he wrapped the crook’s arm up and then pulled him forward, knocking him out with a good punch to the face.

> “All in a night’s work.” (K)Night Shadow thought to himself as he tied the three together. Hearing the GCPD sirens coming closer, he knew it was his time to leave. Spreading the ends out his cape out like a set of wings, (K)Night Shadow clicked the heels of his boots together twice and activated the jets inside, taking off into the air.

Ian sighed to himself as he soared above the skyscrapers, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit bummed that they didn’t know his name. But again, he knew that wasn’t important. Looking at the night sky, he knew his work wasn’t quite done yet for tonight. If you asked any Gothamite who the streets belonged to, you’d probably get a different answer every time. Some would say “the criminals”, others would tell you “the supervillains that always escape Arkham”, quite a few would instead say “Batman”, but the skies belonged to (K)Night Shadow.

Ian surveyed the city from the air, though he was much higher up than back then, the neighborhood he was over did bring back memories.

***********************************************

He was only 13 when the news broke. Ian remembered gathering around the small dingy TV room in the Crowne Orphanage. He remembered pushing and shoving through the other orphans there just to get a glimpse of just what was going on that was causing all this noise. The headline was one he’d never forget, _**“Robin, slain by the Joker, a foreign diplomat”**_. At the time it didn’t seem real, how could Robin be dead? Growing up in Gotham was already hopeless as it could be, especially for someone like Ian, born and left on a doorstep at birth. Batman and Robin though, they seemed like they were invincible, the one incorruptible and undefeatable force in this dreary city. So it was no shock that Ian was such a fan of theirs, in fact, he hung up every newspaper clipping he could find of the two in his room, it was easier for the orphan than trying to buy a poster. They were legends, an integral part of Gotham. Legends never die. Robin shouldn't be...dead.

He didn’t think it was true at first, and as one of the older kids in the orphanage, he tried to convince some of the others that it wasn’t true. After all, Batman and Robin have been in some pretty tight spots before, and they always came out fine in the end, why should this be any different? But, as time went on, Robin didn’t make the grand return that Ian thought he’d see and as the days went by, the void that Robin had left could be felt by just about everyone in Gotham. Batman himself was clearly changed by this too. He was darker than he was before. A legend tainted by death. News stories would begin to pile up about his recent exploits, all around the lines of _**“Has Batman Gone too Far?”**_.

But what could be done? Ian would sit on the old worn out cot he slept in and wonder just how much farther would the Dark Knight fall. Robin wasn’t just a partner, he was Batman’s source of positivity, a role nobody else could fill...or was it? It was then and there, it occurred to Ian: if Batman needed a Robin, then someone would have to be Robin and why couldn’t it be him? Robin was roughly around his age when he died and even younger when he started, so couldn’t anyone do it if they really wanted to?

Ian went to his secret spot, a rusty old shed just a few blocks away from the orphanage. In the past, Ian would come here to be alone, and in that solitude, he discovered a passion to build and create. He would often take old broken toys and fix them, improving them to be even better than before. Eventually, that would develop into taking scrap and old car parts and repurposing them into art, abstract sculptures to be sure (since if you looked at them, they’d just look like junk welded together and stacked on top of each other), but this would push his talents to their limits. Ian took everything he thought he would need, a red turtleneck, some green kitchen gloves, a yellow poncho, a green speedo, yellow leggings, a Zorro mask that one of the kids used for Halloween, and a pair of black boots. This would be what he would wear, which of course needed some work (as well as an iconic yellow “R” stitched in).

He got to work on tools, he went through every garbage bin, junkyard, and scrap heap he knew and from these bits of trash and discarded knick-knacks, from broken fishing poles to sheets of metal taken from junked cars, he made his gear. Last but not east, he found a worn-out belt and some stained pouches that were taken off a construction worker belt, the efforts of his time dumpster diving and with them, he constructed his utility belt. Ian looked at himself in the mirror, despite the fact it was all made from old clothes and garbage it was the costume of Robin, or at least as close as he could make it. A child-like smile formed on Ian’s face as he looked himself over, this would change everything, for Gotham, for Batman, for himself, he could feel it.

> “Oh yeah,” he said to himself, he took a deep breath as he went out for his first patrol. Robin was about to be reborn.


	2. Kite Man, Hell Yeah!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has too much Kite Man which might cause whatever you're reading this on to start sweating and panting. Kite Man, Hell Yeah! (TM)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is very dialogue-heavy...

A splash of cream, a hint of sugar, and of course stirred to perfection. That was the kind of tea Alfred would often make. He was used to this big house being both empty and packed with incredibly nimble children, but it was days like this when both the child he had raised himself and most of the children that child took in were all out of the house that felt the quietest...or at least it would, but there was still one who was home, you could hear the music echoing from underground where he was working.

Alfred gave out a sigh as he picked up the teacup. He had seen Bruce Wayne take in many children and he was at least a little happy that they didn’t get all of his bad habits, but the one who probably got just as little sun as Bruce himself was Ian Li.

Before Alfred could turn around to deliver the tea, he felt a sharp pat on his shoulder followed by a loud “Hey, Alfred!”. Alfred didn’t jump, though he felt like that was exactly what Jason Todd was trying to do by surprising him.

> “To what do I owe the pleasure, Master Jason?”
> 
> “Man, Alfy...you really got nerves of steel you know that?” Jason sounded a bit disappointed he didn’t get a bigger reaction than that.
> 
> “Well, one gets desensitized to these kinds of surprises after a while,” Alfred replied dryly. He wasn’t wrong, one thing about being part of the Bat-Family was that you build up an immunity to being snuck upon.
> 
> “Alright, alright...so, is Ian..?” Jason started to ask, but Alfred knew exactly what the question was.
> 
> “Yes, in his usual spot, where else?”
> 
> “Great, I got a little message for him.” Jason quickly turned to go to the Batcave.
> 
> “Do be careful though, you know how Master Ian gets into his work.” Alfred warned him, but there was little evidence that Jason was listening. “Oh dear...this will go well…” Alfred sighed sarcastically.

Jason moved the old grandfather clock out of the way, revealing the secret entrance to the one and only Batcave. As he walked down the long staircase he could hear the music getting louder and louder. As he got closer he could clearly make out the song, “It’s Not Unusual” by Tom Jones. As he finally got to the end of the stairs, he could see just what Ian was doing, he was fashioning sheets of metal into bat-shapes for the iconic Batarangs.

Ian was way too into his work to even notice that Jason was here, it was like he was in rhythm with both the music he was listening to and with making the batarangs. Once one was finished he’d test it by throwing it into a dartboard.

> “Hm...too heavy on the right…” he said to himself, he walked over to the dartboard and removed the last one he tested. He was beginning to lipsync to the lyrics of the music, but as he turned around to get back to his work table he saw Jason standing in his path and he jumped.
> 
> “There it is! Man, you are much easier to sneak up on.” Jason grinned.
> 
> “Wh-what’re you doing here?!” Ian replied, trying to get his bearings back after his groove was thrown off.
> 
> “Listening to Tom Jones apparently, your playlist is all over the place.” Jason was messing with him at this point. Despite the fact they were almost the same age, Jason liked to bug Ian like the annoying big brother he never had...and sometimes regrets having. Still it was fun and that’s the part Jason liked about it.
> 
> “Gotta warn a guy before you pull that, I was in the zone!” Ian shouted as he quickly scrambled to the Bat-Computer to turn off the music.
> 
> “I know, you should’ve seen the look on your face.” Jason laughed.
> 
> “That’s not the point!”
> 
> “Okay, okay, it’s just too easy sometimes is what I’m saying. You have no idea how rare that is around here.” Ian raised an eyebrow as he put down the Batarang and sat back in his chair. “So how long have you been down here this time? Do you even remember what the sun looks like anymore or do you just see it through drawings and videos?”
> 
> “Almost since I got back at 4 in the morning...there was that brief minute I passed out...I really don’t remember when I got started down…” It didn’t feel as long as it was to Ian, then again he started taking up Tim’s caffeine habits which could’ve had something to do with it. 
> 
> “Eh...a-anyway, were you just checking to see if I was still alive or…?”
> 
> “Oh right, Oracle’s been trying to call you all day.”
> 
> “Wait, and she sent you to tell me that?”
> 
> “Yeah, you know it’s bad when I got to be the one to do that. Then again I can’t resist the urge to get the jump on you, so-”
> 
> “Ah geez...I didn’t even notice…” Ian looked through the many missed calls on the Bat-Computer, he was so far in his own world he wasn’t even aware of it.
> 
> “You know, for a guy who’s down here almost all day, every day, you’d think you’d answer one skype call.” Jason joked. “Also, aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
> 
> “I’m ahead of my project schedule, I’m sure Mr. Fox knows that,” Ian replied, he didn’t like having to keep his boss at Wayne Tech, Lucius Fox, in the dark but he couldn’t tell him the truth either. Ian decided to call Oracle, aka Barbara Gordon, hoping that she wouldn’t be too mad at him.

Barbara picked almost immediately, ginger hair pulled into a messy bun, green-blue eyes blazing behind her glasses. 

> “What the hell, Ian?! I thought you were kidnapped for a second there, you better not have been too busy being _in the zone_ again!” Yup, she was mad.
> 
> “Uh...I was, busy...saving the universe from aliens that eat time itself…?”
> 
> “He was listening to Tom Jones.” Jason chimed in gleefully.
> 
> “Ugh...figures…”Barbara sighed.
> 
> “S-sorry about that...anyway, what’s up?” Ian sat back up in his chair.
> 
> “I’ve gotten word that some high-grade weapons are moving through Gotham, I was hoping you’d be able to look into that,” she said getting back on track.
> 
> “Really, why me? I-I mean, not that I’m complaining, but why I am the man for the job?” Ian asked.
> 
> “Tim’s with the Titans over in New York, Damian’s on one of his “Animal Rescue Missions”, Dick’s too busy in Bludhaven, Duke’s got his own problems to worry about, Cass and Steph are on Anarchy’s trail and Batman’s dealing with Justice League Business,” Barbara responded sharply, seemed like the Bat-Family was stretched pretty thin.
> 
> “Ah...gotcha...wait, how come you’re not checking it out, Jason?” Ian asked, turning back to him.
> 
> “Official Redhood business, you wouldn’t understand until you’re older.”
> 
> “...I’m only two years younger than you.” Ian raised an eyebrow.
> 
> “Well are you up for it or not, Ian?” Barbara said, getting things back on track. Ian looked at his suit, the (K)Night Shadow costume on display in the Batcave alongside other past and present costume from the Bat-Family. Everyone ignored the case with the bloodied and torn Robin costume. He took a deep breath and turned back to the monitor.
> 
> “I’m on it,” Ian spoke more sure of himself this time as if a switch inside him had been flipped, and within minutes, (K)Night Shadow was ready to take flight.

**********************************

Thanks to Oracle’s research, (K)Night Shadow was on the trail of the high-grade weapons being moved throughout Gotham. Their investigation showed that whoever ordered them was after explosives specifically and spared no expense to get them. Whatever the reason was for wanting them, they had to stop them from being used, because since when was the use of high-grade explosives apart of anyone's grocery list.

The trail lead (K)Night Shadow to the sewers beneath the Gotham streets. Ian was less than thrilled to be moving through a...distinctly musky environment that was the home of large rats, runaways, and one very means Croc.

> "It’s always got to be a sewer, doesn’t it? Nobody can ever do some evil plot somewhere nice, like Aruba,” he muttered.
> 
> “Are you seriously complaining that the sewers aren’t _nice enough_ for you?” Oracle replied over the comms.
> 
> “Mostly thinking out loud, I don’t even remember the last time I’ve been outside Gotham…”
> 
> “So what, you’re planning a vacation?”
> 
> “No, I’m just trying to imagine stopping the worst that crime has to offer and relaxing on the beach with a little coconut drink with a teeny umbrella stickin' out of it.”
> 
> “Pffft, what? But you hate the beach!” Barbara laughed.
> 
> “I mean, yeah, but the thought is nice and I don’t get sand stuck in places!”
> 
> “TMI, Ian….TMI…”
> 
> “What? I was talking about my toes...it feels weird…”
> 
> “Mhm, anyway, you should be nearing the source soon. The energy signature’s getting stronger.”

Oracle steered the conversation back to what was important while keeping an eye on the maps of the sewer system. Ian switch on what many in the Bat-Family referred to affectionately as “ _Detective Vision_ ” in his mask in order to properly analyze the readings. The trail was getting thick with the hints of radiation that had been moved through here.

> “I see it. I think whoever’s behind this is nearby too…” he murmured to Oracle as his mask began picking up audio. It was a little garbled, but it began to clear up as he got closer and closer. Thermal readings picked up the outline of someone just around the corner, seemed like whoever this managed to hide out in this cavern in the side of the wall. Ian wondered if it might’ve been one of Killer Croc’s old hideouts. Thankfully he could tell that the suspect wasn’t nearly big enough to be Croc himself. Still, it was only a matter of time before someone found one of these and decided to make it their own. “I got eyes on the target, Oracle...whoever it is, they’re alone,” he whispered.
> 
> “Weird, obviously this can’t be it, nobody could move all that through the city by themselves,” Oracle stated, frowning at the live footage through Ian’s mask; she could tell that the figure was male and on top of that, really scrawny looking. Definitely not Croc, not even close.
> 
> “I’ll just have to find out, either way, this ends now.” Ian switched off Detective Vision and got himself ready, pulling out a couple of batarangs before leaping out of the shadows. “Don’t move!” he shouted, (K)Night Shadow was prepared for anything, or so he thought. The target turned around, with his hands in the air, revealing his ugly green and yellow outfit, complete with an oversized glider on his back. This was none other than Charles Brown, Kite Man " _Hell Yeah_ " **™**.
> 
> “Okay, okay! You caught me, let’s just not do anything hasty. We cool?” Kite Man sounded like he practically had to force the words out, the villain was not known for being threatening, far from it. In fact, some would say that he was the weakest, most pathetic bad guy in Batman’s Rogues Gallery. Well, maybe not _the most_...Condiment King is hard to beat. He stood before (K)Night Shadow, shaking in his bright, hideously yellow boots as if he had already lost.
> 
> “Wait, what, Kite Man’s the culprit? Kite Man...Okay...I legitimately didn’t see that coming…” Ian mumbled to himself. With how destructive the explosives were, he was expecting someone more around the lines of Riddler, or Ra’s, hell he even thought it could be the Joker for a hot second. But no, it was just Kite Man. Looking around the room, he could tell that Brown had been tinkering with his plunder on a table in the middle of it, but the question was _for what_? “Alright, let’s do this the easy way for once. Step away from the table and I promise I won’t have to bruise your easily punchable face."

Ian was almost having fun with this, usually, the quips and snarky comments were Nightwing or Red Hood’s department, so he didn’t often get a moment to shine himself. With villains, (K)Night Shadow usually remained stoic, but for Kite Man " _Hell Yeah_ " **™** (someone who was less threatening than a gentle breeze), he allowed himself to joke.

> “Oh please don’t hurt me, Batman Jr.! Whatever will I do?!” His tone seemed...off somehow. Kite Man " _Hell Yeah_ " **™** was known for...well… a few things to be honest, but giving up without at least a pathetically quick fight wasn’t one of them.
> 
> “Let’s just cut to the chase, Brown. Who are you working for? I know you couldn’t have done this yourself, heavy lifting isn’t your style.” Ian slipped back into his usual persona as he questioned Kite Man, but strangely enough, the villain grinned.
> 
> “What? I’m not working for anyone!” Brown snickered under his breath. Suddenly Ian felt a sharp pain erupt from his shoulder and fell to the ground. “But him on the other hand...he’s working for me! Hahaha!!!” Ian turned to see a large figure decked out in sports gear and a hockey mask, standing over him with a metal bat. This was Sports Master, another D-List villain.
> 
> “Aw yeah, that felt satisfying!” Sports Master shouted gleefully. He pinned (K)Night Shadow’s arms behind his back as he kept him in place. He was hired to help Kite Man succeed and given the Bat-Family’s reputation, he wasn’t taking any chances for him to escape. “I was hoping to knock a few heads around, too bad it had to be one of the Bat’s brats and not the man himself! My rep’s gonna soar when they find out I offed Nightwing!” he boasted, making sure (K)Night Shadow couldn’t move.
> 
> “Nightwing, what’re you talking about?” Kite Man said, confused. “That ain’t Nightwing, I mean, look at him!”
> 
> “Wha-...I thought for sure that was Nightwing…” Sports Master replied, a little bit disappointed.
> 
> “He’s got a cape, Nightwing doesn’t have a cape! I’m pretty sure this guy’s Black Bat.”
> 
> “You’re making that up, I’ve never heard of a “Black Bat”!” Sports Master shouted. As the two D-listers argued back and forth like an old married couple, Ian felt just a little bit insulted.
> 
> _Would it kill them to get my name right at least once,_ he thought to himself. “I’m still not convinced…” (K)Night Shadow regained his composure as he spoke with authority to Kite Man. “...You expect me to believe you’re the “Mastermind” behind this? You usually aim for petty robberies, you know, something your level.”
> 
> “My level…?” Agitation was clear in Brown’s voice as he spoke to (K)Night Shadow.
> 
> “Well, you could barely tie your own shoes before, and now you’re saying you moved up to stealing explosives capable of destroying half a city? I don’t buy it.” Ian could see the anger fester in Brown as he listened to what he had to say. There was no doubt, he was different this time than he was before.
> 
> “See, that right there! That’s what I’m talking about!” Kite Man shouted as he got closer to him. “I am _SOOOO_ sick and tired of being at the bottom of the villain totem pole! All anyone talks about is “The Joker”, or “The Riddler”! Hell, even that “Hush guy” gets more props than me!! Yet whenever someone hears the name “Kite Man”, all they do is laugh at me! Like I’m some sort of joke!!”
> 
> “Well, you do have a giant kite strapped to your back…” Ian muttered. He soon felt more pain, as Kite Man kicked him in the side. He must’ve heard him and he wasn’t happy about it.
> 
> “Shut up!! I’m not going to be a failure anymore! That’s why I got the explosives, it took every last bit of cash I had, but I was able to get Sports Master to get them for me. When you got the right connections in this city, you can get anything.”
> 
> “Yeah...sadly that makes sense.” Ian didn’t want to give Kite Man of all people props, but considering this was the city where just about anyone can commit any horrible crime (wearing just about any ridiculous thing while doing it to boot) it wasn’t too much of a stretch.
> 
> “So after tinkering with the bombs, I’ve constructed my “Kite Drones” which will blow half the city to hell! Then, finally, I’ll get the recognition I deser-” Ian could feel his eyes roll as Kite Man kept monologuing. It was some sort of standard practice to explain every detail of their sinister plans whether you wanted to hear it or not. Ian definitely didn’t, but getting him to gush about his “Kite Drones” (because of course, he’d make them into “Kite Drones”) was part of his plan. Now Ian had a moment to focus and figure out just how to get out of this mess.

Ian looked around the room. He could see the drones sitting on the table that Brown was working on; there were about ten of them. He had to stop Kite Man before he could launch them, but first things first, he had to get free of Sports Master. While his arms were being pinned, he couldn't reach his utility belt, but fortunately, he had another compartment for gear. Hidden away in the gold lining on the arms of the suit was a pocket where he’d hide a few things, just in case this exact scenario played out, including a few smoke pellets. Quickly grabbing them out of the pocket (K)Night Shadow had to pick the right moment to make a move.

> “...And that’s how I’m gonna do it! I’ll be on top of the world-” Now seemed to be a good time to be honest, hearing Kite Man pat himself on the back like this was kind of annoying and a little sad. Before another word could escape that glass jaw of Brown’s, (K)Night Shadow tossed the pellets down and a thick grey smoke began to flood the room.
> 
> “What the hell?!” In the confusion, Sports Master loosened his grip. This allowed (K)Night Shadow to slip out of his hold and get back on his feet.
> 
> “Keep him away from me! I just need a little longer to program the drones!” Kite Man barked orders to Sports Master as he staggered to the table to finish his work.
> 
> “Yeah, like you had to tell me to “kick some ass”!” Sports Master began to swing his bat wildly, unable to see through the fog, hoping that he’d get lucky and hit him. Unfortunately for him though, the _Detective Vision_ in (K)Night Shadow’s mask let him see through the smoke and he began to fight the blinded villain.
> 
> “Hold still!!” he shouted, but (K)Night Shadow easily ducked and weaved past each strike and managed to use the opening to land some hits. Knowing he had to finish this quick, (K)Night Shadow took out a few special Batarangs he’d been saving. He threw the four of them, which sprung apart to reveal metal clamps that wrapped around Sport Master’s wrists and ankles. “Is that all you got?!”
> 
> “Wait for it…” (K)Night Shadow replied and suddenly Sports Master could feel his body being pulled to the outside of the room, towards one of the sewer’s many large pipes. The clamps were powerful, magnetic, and had some powerful range, something that Sports Master found out soon enough as he couldn’t move a muscle from the pipe he was now attached to.
> 
> “You little-!! I’m going to get you for this, you hear me Bat-Twerp?!”

_Yeah, whatever_ , Ian thought to himself. He didn’t have time to answer him, not when Kite Man was ready to tear Gotham apart. But before he could end this, he saw all ten of those dopey Kite Drones zip out and head for the surface.

> “HAHAHA!! You’re too late, I’ve already launched them!” Kite Man laughed as the smoke cleared. "Once my drones reach the center of Gotham, they’ll dive bomb right down, turning everything into a smoldering pile of crap! And who will they remember for it? Me, KITE MAN, HELL YEA-” before he could even finish the sentence, (K)Night Shadow dealt Brown a suckerpunch that knocked him on his ass and completely out cold.

“Huh...one punch. One punch...okay,” he said to himself. It did feel slightly anti-climactic, but it was Kite Man, so it made sense. He still had those drones to catch, and he’d have to disarm them in the air now, but it was between that or watch the city go up in flames. (K)Night Shadow spread his cape, to ready his wings. “Brown made a mistake picking a fight with the one who flies.” He could feel a smirk form under his mask as he said it. It might have been overconfidence or it may have been what he was telling himself to stay calm, either way, this wasn’t over.

As (K)Night Shadow took flight, tailing the Kite Drones, he got Oracle on the comms to explain the situation.

> “Ian, what happened, what’s going on?”
> 
> “So I got good news and bad news. The good news is, I figured out who’s behind it and you can get the GCPD to pick them up.”
> 
> “And the bad news?” Oracle asked.
> 
> “He launched the bombs and they’re going to go to town, both figuratively and literally if I don’t catch up.”
> 
> “Please tell me it was Firefly. I have a bet going with Babs here!” Jason suddenly chimed in.
> 
> “Wait, you’re still there?”
> 
> “Not important, come on, say it! Say it was Firefly!”
> 
> “Actually, you’re not gonna believe this, but it was Kite Man.”
> 
> “Oh come on, you gotta be kidding me!!”
> 
> “Yup...he called them “Kite Drones” and everything.”
> 
> “Heh, you owe me twenty bucks now, Jason.” Oracle laughed, there was a hint of smugness in her voice.
> 
> “Riiight...well, other good news is, I think I got a way to stop them before they cause any damage.” Ian got back on track.
> 
> “Okay?”
> 
> “Other bad news is, if I’m even a little off I go 'Ka-Blooey' along with half the city.”
> 
> “How bad is the margin for error?” Oracle asked.
> 
> “Hm..I’d say about a good 75% chance I die.”
> 
> “That’s insane, you have to come back now!” she shouted in concern.
> 
> “No time, I’ve gotta do this, I’m the only one who can! And look at it this way, if I screw up you can’t say “I told you so...”
> 
> “You know I’m going to say, “I told you so” in death. I will go right up to that grave, blast your Tom Jones and say it right to your headstone!” The funny part was Ian couldn’t tell if Jason was serious or not.
> 
> “We’ll see, signing off.” Ian hung up and continued to chase after the drones as they rose higher and higher into the air.

Soon they reached their destination, over the very center of Gotham. The ten drones began to form a ring formation as they got ready to dive. Fortunately, this only helped Ian’s plan further. He flew right through the ring, getting right above them and disengaged the caped as he pulled out the Batarangs he needed, fitting them between his fingers.

> “Okay...ten drones, ten Batarangs. I only got a few seconds to make this count, so my aim’s gotta be perfect or I’ll be dead. No pressure.” he thought to himself, diving straight down through the middle of the drone’s formation, as he reached the very center, he threw all ten of his Batarangs and as if by some miracle, they all hit a drone.
> 
> “YES!!” he shouted, and with two clicks of his boots and his cape unfurled again he managed to get out of range just in time, as the Kite Drones exploded harmlessly over Gotham. “Phew...I was this close to biting it…” he sighed as he called the Batcave one more time. “This is (K)Night Shadow, I’m not dead and on that note, mission accomplished!”

Feeling triumphant, (K)Night Shadow flew back home. Soon after he’d find out that Kite Man and Sports Master had been arrested by the GCPD, Kite Man would once again be ridiculed for his failure as usual. All Brown had to say for himself was “I just wanted to be taken seriously” as he was hauled off. Overall, an outstanding success...however, what Ian didn’t know, and what nobody could have predicted, was that someone was watching and taking notes.

> "Well, color me slightly impressed." What little did she know, was that sooner than she’d expect, her path would cross with (K)Night Shadow’s.


	3. Gabrielle, Flashbacks, and Techno-Magic

Gabrielle didn’t have many regrets in life. She'd lost everything, much like everyone else in Gotham. And just like most people in Gotham, she turned to less...savory options to survive.

Her plan had been simple with only a few complications. If she didn't learn the identity of the members of the Bat clan, then she'd continue to save up to leave the wretched dump that was this city. But, if she happened to learn who they were, then maybe she could sell their identities and leave here even faster. It was a win, win in her books. The only ones who would get hurt would be those who had fail-

No. This wasn't personal. Not at all. She wasn't some minor villain with a vendetta. She was Gabrielle Diaz, East End native. She had the grit and grime of Gotham etched in her skin. She was going to escape this madhouse and make a name for herself elsewhere. It wasn't personal.

She had learned who they were. She had spent two years slaving away in her free time to learn who they were. And it wasn't as hard as many make it seem. What B had done was make it hard to prove. But she had her proof. It wasn't hard. She just had to be mindful of their ever-watchful Oracle. She would set up on rooftops, following their routes, listening in on conversations. She knew that someone with that kind of tech had to have a lot of money and the person with the most connection to the Batman was Bruce Wayne. Connecting the two were harder, but she did it. She had done it. For two years, she collected as much information as she could, prepared her pitch, and thought of who to sell it to.

So how, how with all her meticulous planning, did it all backfire so quickly?

Her breathing was ragged in her ears. She wasn't entirely sure she could hear out of her left ear anymore. Her left eye was swollen shut and the broken fingers on her left hand felt numb. She wondered if anyone, if any of them, were going to save her. She wondered who it would be. Most likely the B man himself.

Maybe she was just trying to give herself hope. She was captured, injured, and so very tired. The heavy door open, the rank smell of the bay washing in before it closed. She gave a tired sigh. At least, if she does die here, it shouldn't be a sad death. Sure, she was bleeding and broken on the concrete floor of this warehouse, gasping for breath, but she couldn't let them kill who she was. Gotham had crushed her mom; she couldn't let them crush her.

"So, ya ready to tell us where the caches are? Hell, if you just talk, maybe, just maybe, The Penguin will pay you handsomely."

A wet laugh bubbled out of her throat and she lifted a broken middle finger. "Oh, fuck off."

***************************

It was a cold night at the docks, the smell of saltwater and dead fish filled the air. Ian was dressed in his scrappy Robin gear as he had been for almost a week by then, as he crouched upon a rooftop looking for his target. The new Robin was no detective, but he had lived in Gotham all his life and as someone from the Crowne Family Orphanage, he knew there were all sorts of people looking to trick kids. Some did it to get them in a gang, others did it as a way of having the most unsuspecting relaying info, but what Ian was after tonight were the ones that sold drugs to kids.

The last couple of nights hadn’t been kind to the young boy. With little expertise in battle, he was easily overwhelmed and overpowered. He had sustained a handful of bumps and bruises, as well as a couple of small knife wounds, but he remained determined. With each fight he lost, he gained something in return, experience. Slowly but surely he was learning how to fight. It was uncoordinated and sloppy in form, but it was something for now. But at this point, he knew he would have to rely on more than his tools if he was really going to be the Boy Wonder.

He scanned the scene, his eyes fixated on the docks and nothing else. He knew those gangs hung around here and he knew they’d have to come out eventually. His plan was to tail one, two, maybe even three of those crooks and find out where they kept their product. He’d then take pictures of the place and of the crooks, then he could and slip it to the police. It wasn’t a rock-solid plan, no, but Ian was looking to avoid conflict this time.

There was no sign of Batman on any of the nights he was out. He was probably dealing with something more dangerous than the drug dealers. Ian did hear rumors about Ivy trying to start the typical plant uprising again somewhere. Regardless, he was okay with that. He needed to prove to the Dark Knight that he was worthy of being Robin, and if he could do that then his shortcomings from the last couple nights wouldn’t matter. He would have something he didn’t have before, something he wanted but could never describe as if it were something from a fairytale. It was so close, he could taste it.

Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting, someone came out from one of the storehouses. He had something of a medium build, tattoos littered his right arm and he left a trail of smoke as he walked, cigarette burning lightly in the corner of his mouth. This was definitely the guy Ian had been waiting for, and he wasted no time following him.

He followed the man into Gotham’s Chinatown district, making sure to stay hidden above him. He had gotten better at jumping from roof to roof and thankfully, he’d cut the initial fear of falling short while also preventing an accidental fall to the death. He was still learning so he didn’t attempt anything too far or too crazy. No way was he going to Nightwing a backflip from one roof to another. Eventually, the gang member slipped into an alleyway where three others were waiting for him. They all wore the same tattoo on their right shoulders, so they had to be in the same gang. Ian peeked over the roof and listened in on the conversation down below.

> “You weren’t followed right?” One of them started.
> 
> “Relax man, ain’t nobody ever followed me, and there ain’t nobody who ever will.” He replied overconfident.
> 
> “Ya hear Two-Face is looking to take down that fat bird?” The one in the back joked.
> 
> “What, the Penguin? No way, those two have been at it for years. That’s gonna keep going way after we’re all dead.” The first one said.
> 
> “Nah. I heard it’s true, trust me, I got a guy further up than us who knows, either he’s taking him out or the bird takes him out.” The back one continued.
> 
> “Yeah well, the boss better roast him like a chicken, cuz if he manages to cross out Two-Face then we’re out of a job.” The one in the middle piped in.

Ian didn’t think the dealers were working for Two-Face, though it wasn’t too shocking. Again, this is Gotham. Still, Ian thought that made things even better. If he could help take down one of Two-Face’s stashes, that’d make his efforts look even better in the eyes of Batman.

Ian continued to look in, but the wind began to howl and that made it much harder to hear what they were saying. He had to get closer, so he began to quietly move down the fire escape. He focused on keeping his breathing soft and his footsteps even softer, and at first it was going well. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. While working his way down the steps, Ian gripped a loose handrail that broke off and fell into the dumpster below with a loud **THUD**.

> “What the hell was that?!”
> 
> “It’s the Bat!!”
> 
> “There ain’t nobody who’ll ever follow you, eh?” The gang was shaken and Ian’s cover had been blown.

There was no time to think, every instinct was telling him to run, but he couldn’t leave empty-handed. He had to get that information, and if he couldn’t do it with stealth, he’d have to beat it out of them.

Ian dropped down below, managing to jump from the fire escape to the top of the dumpster, and finally the ground. It wasn’t graceful or anything, but again, he wasn’t going to try and backflip from way up there.

> “Psh, who the hell is that?” One said trying to contain his laughter.
> 
> “Just some kid in a Halloween costume. Hey, you’re a little early, ya dumb shit!” Another shouted.
> 
> “Pfffft, HAHAHAHA!! Guys, guys, he’s wearing a rain poncho! And look, are those kitchen gloves?” A third burst out laughing.
> 
> “If ya know what’s good for ya, you’ll piss off and forget ya saw anything, kid. I’d hate to have to get blood all over ya mom’s leggings.” 

This was more than Ian was hoping for. He already struggled against two people in a fight, but now he had to fight four? He felt knots twist and turn in his stomach. There was a good chance he was going to die here. But he came too far to give up now, so he gulped once and took a breath before getting into what he thought a fighting stance looked like.

> “I want information and you're gonna give it to me! Where does Two-Face stash the drugs?!” He shouted.

There was no turning back now. A brave move to some...well, very few to be honest...but a really stupid one to pretty much everyone else.

> “Oh, hey guys, this kid thinks he’s hot-shit or something.” The first crook snarled.
> 
> “Yeah, coming here, dressing up like a shitty ass Robin thinking we’re scared of him or something. Kinda sad, ain’t it?” Another spoke up, as the group started to close in on him.
> 
> “Ya wanna play _superhero_ , kid?” The last one took out a knife as he crept closer and closer. “Sure, let’s play. We kill ya and leave ya here to bleed out like a bitch.”

He’d seen too much. They weren’t going to let him leave here alive. Ian instantly felt like what he just did was stupid and careless; he should’ve just ran. Too late. This was how it was and he’d have to see it through till the end now. It was do or die, quite literally.

Ian reached into his belt and through his own homemade batarangs. Out of the three, he threw, only one actually hit a target, in the leg instead of the shoulder. His aim really needed work. One of them charged in, swinging a pipe at him, but he was able to duck in time. Ian then used the opportunity to uppercut the guy in the jaw. For a few seconds he felt a rush of hope, he felt like he could actually take them. That didn’t last long. Ian felt a sharp pain in his cheek as he fell to the ground. He’d been sucker-punched. Before he could even get up, the four gang members began to kick and stomp on him, over and over again. All he could do was try and block his head with his arms, which did little good. The pain was worse than anything he’d ever felt before; his whole body felt like it was going to give out. He could barely move, and his vision was getting blurry. _This is the end..._ , he thought to himself.

> “Hold him down!” One with a knife barked orders at the others. “I want him to stay still while I carve him up, " he grinned. He took one step towards Ian before he was suddenly pulled up into the air, screaming until being abruptly cut off.
> 
> “H-hey, what the hell was-” One with the pipe was then grabbed from behind and dragged into the shadows, unseen and unheard by any of his buddies.
> 
> “Aw crap! You’re on your own, man!” Another tried to run but something tied his arms and legs together before he could make it out of the alley.
> 
> “L-look, we didn’t know he was one of your boys! I swear, j-just don’t hurt me!! I-I give up, honest, please!!!" The last one desperately screamed, but his pleas were on deaf ears.

A recognizable throwing star went right into his arm, and as the crook screamed in pain. A dark figure dropped down and clocked him over the jaw. He stumbled back from the force of it, falling flat on his ass before trying to crawl away. The dark figure simply stomped on him and pinned him down with his foot before brutally punching him in the face a few times. There was a good chance the guy was out after one, but he kept going anyway. After stepping off the last of the gang members, the figure turned to Ian with an imposing glare. He had finally met the Batman face to face.

> “T-thank-” Ian tried to thank the Dark Knight as he forced himself to sit up, but before he could finish, Batman disappeared into the darkness without even a single word.
> 
> “Wait!” Ian cried out, but the shadows were all that were left to hear him.

After managing to limp his way back to his shed, Ian began to tend to his wounds. All he had were ice packs, so there wasn’t much he could actually do. His bruises were bad but thankfully nothing felt broken. Still, he’d knew he’d have to lay off the patrols for a while so he could recover, not to mention he’d have to make up an explanation to the caretakers of the orphanage for how he got all banged up. This night was a bust, pure and simple.

> “W-well...at least I got to meet Batman,” he joked to himself as he winced in pain, it hurt to even laugh. He sat at his work table, thinking that at least the worst of it was over...he was wrong.
> 
> “What do you think you’re doing?” A deep, intimidating voice asked him from behind. Ian turned around to see that it was Batman. He had followed him back here and even managed to slip into the shed without a sound.
> 
> “I...I...It’s a-a-an honor to meet you sir-” startled, Ian just barely got a sentence out, but Batman wasn’t finished.
> 
> “I said, what do you think you’re doing?” he growled. He was very clearly not happy.
> 
> “I-I...I just thought...maybe I could…help you?” Ian could feel the Dark Knight’s glare bearing down on him. It was almost like he was under a police interrogation, except there wasn’t a _good cop_ and a _bad cop_ , just a _bad cop_ and an _even worse cop_. This would’ve been one of the high points of his life if it wasn’t so scary.
> 
> “You have no training, no discipline, and you’re dressed in scraps. You’re going to get yourself killed.” Batman put out there what Ian knew already, but he thought maybe he could appeal to Gotham’s hero.
> 
> “Then...th-then, please teach me! Teach me to be like y-”. Before he could finish, Batman slammed his fist on the table. He wasn’t going to listen to anything Ian had to say.
> 
> “This is your only warning. You’re going to go home, throw all of this away and give this up before you get into something you don’t walk away from. I will not be responsible for you, do you understand?!”
> 
> “B-but...but-”
> 
> “I said go home!!” The sound of Batman’s voice reverberated off the walls of the shed and hit Ian from all sides. Somehow, this was actually worse than being beaten to a pulp. The Dark Knight turned away and left the shed, vanishing into the night once more.

Ian felt crushed on the inside, as anyone would. After all, how would you feel if your hero just flat out told you that you were an idiot and that you’re going to get yourself killed? Ian had felt rejection for years. Never being adopted makes you get used to that, and yet this still stung. As Ian defeatedly limped back to the orphanage, he thought about what Batman had said. Maybe this was a sign that he should stop. But as he looked out the window of his room, he could see the vastness that was Gotham. It was chaos, crime, and the worst that humanity has to offer. Everyone who lived here knew that. It’s a dark abyss, and that abyss stares back, but he realized that it’s also too much for only one person (albeit a highly trained and effectively geared up person) to handle alone. Ian wasn’t going to stop, he couldn’t allow himself to. If he couldn’t get Batman’s approval, he’d just have to earn it.

****************

Ian snapped back to reality. He didn’t really understand why he was thinking about something that happened so long ago, but for some reason, something reminded him about it. It’s been seven years since then, so it’s not like he was still upset about it or anything. It just seemed to be a phantom memory, drifting into his mind before leaving. He shrugged and went back to what he was working on. The sights and sounds of the pieces being put together to build something were always comforting.

Once again, Ian got lost inside projects. He was ahead of what he needed to do at Wayne Tech, so that gave him time to draw up blueprints and tinker around the workshop in the Batcave. Soon he began to hear footsteps, getting closer and closer to him. He felt they were too loud to be Dick’s, not loud enough to be Jason’s, and if it were Bruce he’d never even hear them. So who was it then? Ian thought about it, and in his head, he narrowed it down to being either Steph or Tim. As they got closer, he began to make a bet with himself. It had to be Tim, if he was wrong, he’d have to go get some sunlight for once.

> “What’s up, Tim?” He spoke without even looking.
> 
> “How’d you know it was me?” Tim, the third Robin replied.
> 
> “Lucky guess.” He shrugged, continuing to create the circuit boards for this current project of his.

Tim looked around at the workshop, his eyes fixated on one project, in particular, a drone that Ian had been working on, one that would provide backup in sticky situations. It wasn’t finished just yet, but it looked like most of the pieces were already in place, even it’s bat shape.

> “You finished the drone? Hey, you said I could do the software!” Tim shouted, sounding disappointed and a little hurt.
> 
> “I did say you could do the software.”
> 
> “You promised!”
> 
> “I did promise,” Ian muttered. “It’s not finished yet, but a lot of the basic programming’s been set up, so I think we’ll be seeing this baby in the air soon.”
> 
> “Hmph...okay, but I’m still mad.”

Tim and Ian had collaborated on many projects before. He built the hardware while Tim built the software. They worked pretty well as a team. Ian did always admires just how smart Tim was, even at an early age. Tim was clearly a better detective and programmer than he was, but he never had any envy. Everyone in the Batfam had their strengths, Ian was just happy Tim was an intellectual like him.

> “Relax, I left just enough for you to work your magic.”
> 
> “ _Techno-Magic_. I prefer the term _Techno-Magic_.”
> 
> “Right, right, _Techno-Magic_ , because that’s totally a thing.” Ian joked going back to work.
> 
> “So, what're you working on?” Tim peered over his shoulder with curiosity.
> 
> “Oh, just a little something I thought would come in handy.”
> 
> “Looks complicated...Are you finally making a warp drive?! Pleeeeaaase, tell me you’re making a warp drive!”
> 
> “No, Bruce said I’m not allowed to work with radioactive isotopes anymore. Not after the last time…”
> 
> “Well that sucks...so what is it then?”
> 
> “A router.”
> 
> “..........That’s it? I’m actually disappointed. Look at me, this is my disappointed face.”
> 
> “Tim, you wound me! You know I don’t stop at “just good enough”, it can always be better. I’m not just making a router, I’m making the router to end all routers!” Ian looked back at Tim with a smirk as he put his welding goggles back on. “First of all, it’s amazing we get internet down here in the first place. Secondly, I’m going to make this the fastest the world’s ever seen! Think of it, man! Our wi-fi will be so fast that you track the Joker while streaming, binging your favorite show, gaming, and memeing!”
> 
> “Ian, that sounds beautiful…” Tim wipes a pretend tear from his eye. “Sorry I doubted you.”
> 
> “All is forgiven. Now the only thing is, the way I made this, the circuits are gonna be channeling a lot of power. That’s gonna supercharge this little beaut here, but it makes the circuit boards real sensitive. So I’m going to need complete and total concentration...one wrong twitch out of place and I’ll be electrocuted.” Ian fastened his insulated gloves and readied his tools. “So I’m going to need a few minutes of complete and total silence, please.” He slowly began working on the circuit boards, carefully so as to not have the router zap him.
> 
> “.......So...this is probably a bad time to mention that the Penguin has someone who might know everything about us, huh?” Tim broke the bad news.
> 
> “WHAT?!” And with that, Ian felt a surge of electricity going through his body as his reaction made him flinch.


	4. The Hostage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is very dialogue-heavy...

About a half-hour later, the Batfamily stood mostly assembled dressed in their costumes as they went over the situation. It seemed just about everyone was here, except Bruce himself. Ian wondered just when he was getting back; he’d been out of Gotham for a bit longer than he was comfortable with. He felt almost lost surrounded by so many of the other members of the family around him, but strangely at home at the same time.

> “Alright, so sorry that I had to call you all here on short notice, but this is kind of an emergency.” Dick started the meeting off. The oldest of his adopted siblings and the usual de facto leader when Bruce was away, Dick spoke with the authority of a leader. It made sense. The guy was in charge of the Titans for practically half his life.
> 
> “You better be sorry. I had a full house! I was so taking Roy to the cleaners…” Jason spoke up, so clearly discussing _Important Redhood Business_ which was actually just code for _Poker Night_. It figures.
> 
> “Seriously? Priorities, man...you should get some.” Duke raised an eyebrow.
> 
> “So what’s this even about, Dick?” Stephanie Brown, the current Batgirl, decided that it was time to cut to the chase. Ian still wasn’t used to seeing her in the mantle Barbara once had, even after all this time, but she without a doubt earned it.
> 
> “Right, so there’s been rumors going around that the Penguin’s gotten his hands-”
> 
> “His small, pudgy hands actually managed to grab something?" Jason joked.
> 
> “Wouldn’t they be more like “flippers”?” Tim chimed in.
> 
> “Tim’s got a point. Penguins have flippers, not hands.” Ian backed him up.
> 
> “You gonna let me finish?” Dick was losing patience for this. “As I was saying…Penguin may have gotten to someone who knows about us.”
> 
> “What do you mean _knows about us_? Just how much are we talking here?” Kate Kane asked, breaking her silence.
> 
> “Everything…” Dick said firmly.
> 
> "Like _everything_ , everything? Or like some things?" Jason frowned.
> 
> “Like, _everything_ everything,” Dick explained, his tone was serious. Ian always knew Dick to be the wisecracking, devil may care older brother half the time and the serious older brother the other half. This was serious mode.
> 
> “How’s that even possible?!” said Ian.
> 
> “Who was it? Gordon, Leslie, Harper?” Duke followed up. His voice was getting increasingly more worried as he listed off the allies of the Batfamily.
> 
> Barbara answered from the Batcomputer, shaking her head. Her face was tense and she was typing furiously, ginger hair drooping from its bun. "There's no way. It's not possible. I keep surveillance on nearly everyone in Gotham. Any serious mentions of anyone here gets flagged immediately and I'd know if someone's following you."
> 
> “Well clearly not _everyone_ ...” Damian mutters with a scowl. The young Robin carried himself like he was the smartest and most capable in the room. Sometimes that was true, other times it came off like he had a superiority complex. Despite his upbringing, there was still much to learn, like general social graces.

Barbara scowled as she furiously searches through CCTV, trying to find anything. Nothing was flagged online or the dark web. So, security footage was their last hope.

> "Do you have information that I can work off of to trace this person back? To see how long they might have been following us?"
> 
> “Not much, but I do know Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge is out. That place has been abandoned since he and Two-Face had their little feud a while back.” Tim spoke up. Oracle wasn’t the only one well connected.
> 
> “I have heard rumors that he’s planning a comeback.” Ian backed up the claim. “It’s nothing significant, but there has been talk of it.”
> 
> “Sounds to me like Cobblepott has started that comeback with a bang.”

Kate was beginning to put the pieces together in her head. She figured that after learning everything about them, Penguin would try to systematically take down Bruce and everything he stood for. Then quite possibly aim for his old rival, Harvey Dent.

> “I’m telling you, if you let me put one between his beady little birdy eyes, we’d be done with this.” Jason said with a smirk. He wasn’t really serious, but it was his way of breaking the tension everyone was feeling.
> 
> "It just…" Barbara trailed off.

Nothing about this made sense. There's no way someone could escape Oracle's gaze. There were no signs of hacking, either.

> "It has to be someone who can get close to us without getting too close." She quickly began to search through all Wayne Enterprises employees based in Gotham. She looked at everyone. "I have Oracle searching through everyone that works at Wayne Tower as well as looking at anyone who came close to any of us. Who knows how long this has been going on…".
> 
> “Here’s my question…” Stephanie started to share her thoughts. “...how do we know this person Penguin has actually knows anything at all?”

To her credit, she had a point. There were many who had claimed to know the secret identity of Batman in the past who all turned out to be lying. For all they knew, this was just someone who said they had it for attention and just happened to get into Penguin’s crosshairs.

> “Uh...I mean...better safe than sorry though, right?” said Duke.
> 
> “I swear if this is just some kind of joke, I’m breaking their ankles. I take my personal info seriously, you know.” Jason said, hands on his hips. He was in full sass mode.
> 
> “You take things seriously?” Ian mumbled to himself. He wasn’t quiet enough though for Jason to not hear him. He then grabbed Ian and put him into a headlock.
> 
> “Oh I’m sorry, how’d you get in here? Grownups are talking you know!”
> 
> “Oh sure, because this is _grownup_ , and again I’m only two years younger than you!” Ian struggled to get out.
> 
> “Ugh...this is like herding cats, I swear…” Dick rubbed his forehead. He was not in the mood for this. “Look, whoever they got, they either know everything or they know nothing. But we can’t take that chance, so we’re going to find Cobblepott and rescue whoever’s being held hostage. That’s the plan.”
> 
> "Have you narrowed down where the hostage is being held?" Barbara's eyes were focused on something off-screen.
> 
> “Well, there’s been more of Penguin's goons around the upper east side lately.” Tim read off some of his own personal notes. He kept a good record, that’s for sure.

Typing was heard as Oracle went into the CCTV cameras in the Upper East Side. The program locked onto some of Penguin's goons leaving an abandoned warehouse.

> "Got them. Warehouse near Stagg Enterprises. It's close to the bay. Warehouse 14."
> 
> “It’s always some old crappy warehouse isn’t it?” Jason muttered.
> 
> “Well, you would know, Todd. It’s closer to your neighborhood.” Damian grinned a devilish grin.
> 
> “It’s amazing Stagg keeps going strong given all the shady stuff they do.” said Steph.
> 
> “Them and Lexcorp to be honest...money, it’s like a 20-mile long bulletproof vest.” Tim joked.
> 
> “Regardless, that’s where we’re going. We’re going to stop this before it starts.” Dick was ready to get this done. Ian could feel the determination in his voice. He took a glance down at his own mask, the eyes stared back at him as if they saw right through him. He took a breath and put it on.

************************

The family took to the rooftops of Gotham, (K)Night Shadow kept a steady pace with the others as he flew above them. He could see how distinct each member’s style of getting around was. Nightwing practically made this an art form; his movements were almost like living poetry. Red Hood's were rougher around the edges, but in that you could tell that he knew these streets front and back, he definitely had his own methods. Red Robin and Batgirl practically moved in tandem. It was so similar that you’d think they practiced this coordination. Orphan’s was a close second to Dick’s in terms of its gracefulness. It didn’t have the same _former acrobat_ feel to it, it was more silent. Ian knew Cass saw movement as language, and he wondered if her own was _saying_ something in a way too. Robin’s was a step under that, silent but as if he was remembering each step of a complex dance as he moved. Finally, there was Batwoman and Signal, pretty contrasting to each other to Ian’s perspective. Kate’s was close to her cousin’s. Not like it was reminiscent, more like it had an air of intimidation about it. Meanwhile, Duke, the newest of the Batfam, looked like while he was still figuring out his, he wasn’t a slouch though by any means. As he watched them all, there was a feeling of enjoyment and belonging deep inside Ian as they all moved together and he wondered if sometimes they could just do this for fun. It was almost like a family walk to him, but there was a mission to complete. That came first.

Suddenly, a large boom goes off. It came from the direction of the University.

> “What the hell was that?!” Red Hood shouted.
> 
> Oracle came through on the comms, frantic. "A building just went up in the University district, close to the Distribution Center."
> 
> “You think it’s Penguin?” Red Robin asked.
> 
> “No idea, but there may be people who need help there. We’re split up into teams. Jason, Tim, Damian, Duke, and I will check the University district, while Kate, Cass, Steph, and Ian keep going toward the upper east. If you find anything, radio it in.” Nightwing told them.
> 
> “Psh, _radio_ , so old school.” Red Hood laughed as he turned toward the University District. The four left, leaving the second group to check out the warehouse.

Team 2 made it to the warehouse, ready for anything. Upon entering though, they only found a couple of guards watching over a stockpile of weapons. Considering it was two against four (and you know, those four are from the Batfam), they took care of the two pretty easily, but that still left some concerns.

> “Okay, so this isn’t where Cobblepot is…” Batgirl said with a sour tone.
> 
> “But if he keeps his weapons here, he can’t be far,” Batwoman reassured the group. “Comb the area, he can’t hide for long.”

The four split up taking a separate direction. (K)Night Shadow moved west, keeping a bird’s eye view. He himself didn’t really believe that whoever it was had all this dirt on them, but that person was in trouble, so he’d help. It was that simple, at least he was pretty sure it was.

A window from the second story of the warehouse was open and from it, he could faintly hear wheezing laughter. In Gotham, that’s never a good thing.

> “Hey guys...uh, girls...compatriots? I think I might have a lead!” He told the others over the comms, but nobody was responding. “Hello…? Kate, Steph…? Cass, you there…? You might be ignoring me. I can’t tell…” Soon, he heard Steph on the line.
> 
> “Yeah, sorry Ian, we ran into some more Penguin goons! I think we found where he is!” There was a lot of crashing and banging in the background, so she was probably in the middle of a fight. “Anyway, get here when you can!”

She hung up and for a moment, Ian considered turning around, but in his gut, he knew he couldn’t without investigating that laughter. He decided that he’d check it out, a few minutes couldn’t hurt, right? He slipped into the open window and began to blend into the shadows.

> "I hope they blew sky-high, assholes! You'll never get those files! And I'll die without ever telling you!" Wet coughing escaped a tied up young woman with light brown skin. A smattering of freckles was covered by dried blood and bruises on her face while a grin that was one of nightmares formed on her lips. She sat in a wooden chair, cackling and coughing, her curly hair falling into her face. "I h-hope they blew into tiny pieces!"
> 
> “Well, that would be very...unfortunate for you.” (K)night Shadow could hear a more dignified sounding voice, speaking to the woman. He stayed close to the door frame as he listened and peeked out at the scene. A short round man in a suit stood facing her, back facing (K)night Shadow, with an umbrella in his hand; the Penguin himself. “Though I’m a patient man, I have no issue doing this all night if I must.”
> 
> She scoffed at the man. "You think I give a shit what you do to me anymore?" She laughed. "Listen here, duck man, and listen close…...Fuck you. You're just a sad excuse for a bird." She laughed hard and curled in as she took in ragged and shaky breaths.

_That has to be the one…_ , Ian thought to himself, pulling out a few batarangs. He wondered what these _files_ they were talking about were. Could they be related to the explosion? He kept listening, but was ready to pounce at any moment, he knew he’d have to soon.

> “I see…” the Penguin scoffed, displeased with the woman and her attitude.He had been torturing her for a while now, yet she wouldn’t break. In a strange sense he admired that stubbornness, but on the other hand he wanted that information. Cobblepott had been recovering ever since he and Two-Face went at it, and having Batman’s secrets would be what put him back on top. He wasn’t going to let some impudent child keep him from that. “It’s a shame we can’t see eye to eye, my dear. However, I’m a man of many talents despite my appearance. One of them being, I always get what I want.” He forcefully placed a hand on her shoulder gripping it tightly.
> 
> She bared her teeth at him and tried to pull away. "You could've had what you wanted if you weren't such a cheapskate, Ossie."
> 
> “And you should’ve known I’d never pay. So much for your _research_. But, very well, you force my hand yet again.” He pushed the woman’s chair back, forcing her to fall. “Sadly, despite your tenacity, everyone breaks. You are no different.” He turned to the guards he had with him. “You may proceed.”

Ian knew if he didn’t act, they were going to keep beating her until she either talked or died. He couldn’t let that happen. Sending a few batarangs from out of the darkness, he knocked some of Penguin’s lackey’s off their guard.

> “What the-?!”
> 
> “You say you’re a patient man, Cobblepott? Then you can keep waiting.” (K)Night Shadow stepped into the light, getting ready to throw another.
> 
> "Oh! I knew I forgot someone!"


	5. The Rescue

> "Oh! I knew I forgot someone!"

Gabrielle exclaimed as she watched (K)Night Shadow move through the room. She had thought about who might be the one to rescue her should any of the members of the Bat Clan came for her. Or came for Ossie. She had completely forgotten about Robin 2.5. Gabrielle wondered who else was here. 

> “Boss, it’s Black Bat!” one of the crooks shouted.
> 
> “It’s not Black Bat, you imbecile! I don’t care who he is, just get him!!” Penguin ordered his men.
> 
> "Oh my God. Oh my God! They don't recognize him!" She laughed, breath hitching from what she was sure was bruised ribs. "You should've just paid me, Ossie! Have fun in Arkham! Give Harley a kiss for me!"

(K)Night Shadow threw his Batarang, lodging it right into the table behind the group before sliding to where Gabrielle was to undo the restraints. 

> "Hiya, Ian." She mumbled to him. She might as well tell him what's up, make it a bit easier on the more elusive member of the family. "I'm pretty sure my ribs are bruised. My fingers on my left hand definitely broken as well as my right ankle."

(K)Night Shadow appeared to be in disbelief like he didn’t actually hear his own name just now. He kept focused on the task at hand and began cutting through the rope.

> "What? Thought I was a fake? That I didn't actually know?" She smirked tiredly. "It would be upsetting if two years of research didn't stick with me."
> 
> “It’s a good thing you’re already on the ground right now…” as he kept cutting the rope. He took what appeared to be another Batarang and threw it to the wall behind them, then something that appeared to be a detonator of some kind. He didn’t even pay attention to the fact that Penguin’s men were charging at him. “Because standing up would be a bad idea.” he then clicked the button and a blue light on the last two batarangs started to blink and in seconds, the table the first one was in flew in the direction of the other one magnetically. The table knocked into anyone in its path and broke a little upon impact. That gave him enough time to finally undo the restraints.

> "I'm pretty sure that I'm going to pass out soon. Haven't really slept in two days. Soooo, let me just get a few things out of the way. 1. This...wasn't personal. 2. Name's Gabrielle Diaz, don't wear it out. 3. Wayne Tower is pretty nice." 

> “Uh-huh…” It was hard to tell what his expression was, most of the others had at least part of the face exposed, but not him. “This is going to get messy, but just hang on, I’m getting you out of here.”
> 
> She patted his cheek. "How nice of you." 

> “What are you waiting for?! Kill him!!” Penguin began shooting at the two as he barked orders.

(K)Night Shadow quickly grabbed her and got them both behind what was left of the table. This cover wouldn’t last for long unless they did something.

> "Don't you have anything… I don't know...useful in that belt of yours?" 

> “Yeah, I think I do.”

He pulled what appeared to be smoke pellets from the belt and tossed them toward the Penguin and his goons. The entire room filled with a thick smokescreen, Cobblepot could barely see an inch in front of his pointy nose. Soon he could see a figure approaching him in the fog, which he quickly began to open fire on. Strangely though, even though the bullets hit, the figure still just stood there. More gunfire sounded off as the Penguin could see his men were shooting at the exact same silhouette of (K)Night Shadow, how could he be in multiple places at once? He took a step toward the image of (K)Night Shadow and put his hand through it, it was only a holographic decoy, they all were. He threw the tiny projectors along with the smoke pellets giving him enough time to run with Gabrielle in tow.

> "I would clap, but that would hurt. Just know that I'm cheering in my head. Loud whoops and all…… Hey, can we get some iced lattes after this?"

_Boy, she sure talks for someone that injured…_ , (K)Night Shadow thought to himself. He carried her through the halls, looking for an escape. 

> "Try the next door. There's a fire escape out that window. They didn't bother blindfolding me. They also couldn't figure out what room to put me in. Silly goons."

> “Talk about sloppy,” he told her. Still, he had no reason not to take that advice and went for that door. 
> 
> "I wasn't supposed to leave alive, so why bother?" She murmured solemnly, eyes closing. Maybe she'd catch up on a few z's despite her roaring headache. She had hoped that her motor mouth would help her ignore the pain, but that plan was a dud. 

> “Bet they’re still kicking themselves for-” Before he could finish that response a very large man with a steel bat blocked their path, looks like he was going to leap out before, but them coming to him worked just as good. He took a swing at the two, but (K)Night Shadow jumped back. “Figures...it’s never that easy…” He set Gabrielle down gently, he’d need the use of his arms to drop this guy.

> “Get wrecked, Bat-Freak!!” the crook swung wildly at him, but he weaved and dodged his way around and landed a couple strikes to disarm him. The big guy grabbed (K)Night Shadow, trying to crush his bones. 

> “Nice try… but the hold needs work. Just ask Red Hood.”

(K)Night Shadow stomped on his foot while headbutting him in the face, forcing the man to let go and then using his cape, wrapped his arm. Working his way behind him, he pulled on the cape, forcing the guy to punch himself in the face several times, before kicking him down. He was out for the count. Ian would often find himself in one of Jason’s holds, sometimes in sparring...mostly just Jason messing with him though. In a way, it prepared him to get out of sticky situations. The game was about finding weak points in his opponents hold that Jason wouldn’t make, and then exploit them.

> “That takes care of that,” he mumbled turning his attention back to Gabrielle, with the enforcer down, he could carry her out through the fire escape. It was the quickest exit to be sure. “Let’s get out of here before I have to do another headbutt.”

> She would try and nod, but everything was hazy. The urge to throw up was growing by the second. "Uh-huh ... sounds...sounds great." Crap, maybe she had a concussion. 
> 
> “Hey, hey, stay with me,” he said, picking her up. He had to keep her in the moment, right in the here and now. If she passed out, who knows if she’d even wake up again. 

(K)Night Shadow picked her up and began to head up the fire escape. Time was of the essence, and who knows how many more of Penguin’s hired help were on their tail. Making it to the rooftop, he scanned the scene around them. With Gabrielle in his arms, he couldn’t fly. The cape requires the use of both his arms to spread his ‘wings’, without them he couldn’t keep himself afloat. Passengers weren’t something he could do, but fortunately, there are other ways to get around Gotham.

> "So...who tipped you off?" Everything hurt. Sure, she might have told that prissy bird to go to hell, but everything still hurt like hell when they hit her. "I figured...that the Bat would be here. S-security risk and all…" Her eyes fluttered shut again. For a moment, she wished she was back in one of her warehouses or maybe even The Riddler's hideout. She could almost hear the smarmy _"I told you so"_. It made her grin against the pain in her head. 
> 
> “Believe it or not, I found you completely by accident.” From his belt, he pulled out a grappling hook. Thanks to his ability to get to high places fast, he didn’t need it as much as some of his allies, but he kept it anyway. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, that’s what he figured. “This next part might be uncomfortable.” He aimed the hook at the tallest building in sight, fired it and zipped up to the very top of it.

Air rushed past her and despite the sharp pain that coursed through her body, the near weightlessness made her want to laugh. Her smile grew, even as she struggled to stay conscious. From there, the escape was simple. As soon as (K)Night Shadow set foot on that roof, he ran. With each rooftop he jumped, they got further and further away, until finally, the hideout was out of sight. That gave him time to finally rest and radio the rest of the family.

> “(K)Night Shadow to all points, do you read me?” He got back on the comms, placing Gabrielle down.
> 
> “This is Batgirl!” Steph was the first to answer, presumably still nearby with the rest of their group. “Where were you? We’ve been waiting for you to get here!”

> “I know, but I had to-”

> “Please tell me you didn’t get lost again. How does someone who’s lived in Gotham their whole life WITH a bird’s eye view get lost?” Kate scoffed.
> 
> “That was one time…”

Gabrielle rolled her head to glance at (K)Night Shadow. The rooftop was surprisingly cool to the touch. It felt nice. Maybe...maybe she would just close her eyes for a bit. Take a little nap.

> "I'm... I'm just going to take a nap. Tell the fam I say hi."
> 
> “Hey, no! Stay awake, just stay awake a little longer. Help’s on the way.” (K)Night Shadow turned back to Gabrielle, shaking her as lightly as he could to keep her awake.

She tiredly smacked at his hand and muttered under her breath. God, a sweet numbness was slowly crawling over and the raging headache was slowly ebbing away taking her nausea with it. Her eyes begged to stay shut. 

> “Is someone with you?” Steph asked.
> 
> “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I found-”

> “This is Nightwing. We’ve secured the sight of the blast. The good news is that no civilians got hurt.” Dick jumped on the line, interrupting Ian.
> 
> “Honestly, kinda miraculous. It just happened in the right place at the right time. So it’s all good.” Jason added.

> “What the hell are you talking about? We have one body here!” said Tim.

> “Yeah and as you can see he worked for the Penguin. So again, it’s all good.” Jason replied shrugging off the death of the henchman.

> “That’s in bad taste…” said Duke.  
>    
>  “When is Todd not?” Damian added in his usual _delightful_ way.
> 
> “Anyway...the weird part is, the place looks like it was rigged to blow and I’m guessing our friend here was looking for something he wasn’t supposed to find.”

> “Could I just get a word in?” (K)Night Shadow’s voice had a tinge of frustration from being ignored. 

> "Could I sleep?"

Gabrielle tried to glare at (K)Night Shadow, but her eyes kept dropping close. Oh, there was nausea again. She turned over slowly, body dully aching, and dry heaves. 

> “Not yet, in a minute, I promise,” he told her.

> “Seriously who is that?” asked Kate.
> 
> “Sounds like a pissed off parrot.” Jason snarked.

> “Very funny, it’s not. I found Cobblepot and the hostage. She’s safe, but she’s badly injured.”
> 
> “That’s where you’ve been this whole time? You know you could’ve called us, right?” Steph scolded. There was a big sister tone coming off her, despite the fact Ian was older.

> “I sorta had my hands full...I mean that both figuratively and literally.”

> "Just drop me off at the warehouse on the corner of 2nd and Madison. I want to die in peace." 

> “You’re not going to die, I’m going to get you to-...” he stopped for a moment once the word warehouse sunk in. “...Wait, warehouse? 2nd and Madison...not the University District?”
> 
> Gabrielle scowled, annoyed. "It's Gotham, fuckface. Warehouses galore. That one was really a test. Nice to know it works."

God, why wouldn't he let her sleep? Her head throbbed, she couldn't really feel her fingers, and whoop, there she goes dry heaving, which felt like hell to her sore body. 

> “That was yours?” He knelt down to get to eye-level with her. “How many more of those do you have? What’s in them?”

> She closed her eyes as his face came closer. Her grin held an edge to it. "Seven. Info on you assholes. Can I die now?"

> “Wait, did she say she’s got seven of these timebombs?!” Tim said, shocked.
> 
> “With information on us. You forgot that part.” Kate hit the main point.

> “Relax, what does this kid have on us anyway?” Jason laughed it off, not convinced she had what she said she had.

> “She’s not a kid, and even if it’s just one small detail, that’s enough to be worried about.” said (K)Night Shadow.
> 
> “Does she know who we are?” Dick decided to rip the band-aid off now.

> “I don’t…” he looked back at her.

He was certain he heard her say “Ian” back there before, but could he have been imagining it? Maybe in the heat of the moment, he thought he heard it. Just how much did this girl know?

> “Does she know who we are?” Dick asked again, firmly. He wasn’t playing around, he had to know. Ian was unable to form an answer, so all he could do instead is ask a question.

> “You said you had info on us...what do you know?” He asked Gabrielle.
> 
> Eyes still closed, her grin became manic. "Flying Graysons', Zombie boy, Ian, TimTam, Badass, Steph...w-want me to go on?" 

It was clear now, this wasn’t somebody with a conspiracy theory or someone who wanted attention. She knew, she at least knew who they were. All (K)Night Shadow could do was stay silent in a mix of shock and confusion.

> "Ooh! Alfredo sauce!" She laughed weakly. "Ow…". 
> 
> “Guys…” Ian’s voice was as awkward as usual. “We definitely got a problem.”


	6. Batman and the Gotham Bean

> “What do you mean, “You lost them”?! Imbeciles, complete and utter IMBECILES!!” Penguin was fuming, looking redder than black and white for once.
> 
> “H-he....managed to escape, you know how it is with the bats...they gotta way of...doing that.” One of the henchmen spoke up.
> 
> “They got a way of doing that, you say?” Oswald walked up to his lanky gun for hire. There was a strange sense of calm in his voice as he looked the man dead in the eye. “How ...quaint.”

He just stood there, very close to him. He looked like he was pondering something, stroking his fat chin.

> “I suppose they do...the Dark Knight keeps dark company and such. I suppose they do just "got a way of doing that”...” He then pulled out his umbrella and shot him square in the chest, point-blank. “And I have a way of getting rid of employees that don’t do their jobs.”

He turned to the rest of his men, making sure they got the message.

> “You understand, don’t you?” Nobody said a word, the look on their faces though spoke volumes. “Good, then I’ll make this very clear. I want that girl found, I don’t care what unsavory methods you use to get her back, I want her brought to me!” The other henchmen nodded; they read the boss loud and clear. “Splendid. Hector, be a good gent and dispose of Mr. McClane’s body, will you? He's staining my carpet.”

Oswald Cobblepot had lost a lot in his war with Harvey Dent, now that he was free after all this time, the only thing on his mind was getting it all back and then some.

****************

> “So that was one medium iced caramel latte, " asked the lone employee tending the counter at the “Gotham Bean”. Despite working in a coffee shop, he had a dead look in his eyes. He was clearly running on fumes working this late at night. It could explain why he didn’t even bat an eye at his latest customers.
> 
> “...Yes, that’s about right.” said (K)Night Shadow. He wasn’t exactly comfortable being here in a public place dressed in his full gear, but Gabrielle wasn’t comfortable at all...so the feeling was mutual all around.

> “Okay…anything else?” the young man asked them, completely monotone.

Gabrielle stared intently, her unbroken right hand pressed heavily on the counter, leaning heavily on her left foot. She gave a tired groan.

> "Look-" she glanced at his nametag. "Lucas? Luke. I'm two seconds away from death's glorious door. I need that latte now." She pulled out a bloody fifty and smacked it against the counter. "Make it snappy." She's heard Riddler say that to a junior officer before and always wanted to use it. 
> 
> “Okay…” Lucas looked at the blood-stained bill and then back at the man draped in black and gold. “The latte is $7.50….” His expression didn’t even change a little bit. Was this the result of being in Gotham and seeing this felt normal after a while or just the soul-crushing feeling of an unforgiving minimum wage job? Who can say?

> She stared at him. "Just make the goddamn latte." 

> “Look, we’re kind of in a hurry...I can pay for the latte if that’s too much change.” (K)Night Shadow added.

> “Whatever…” Lucas shrugged and went to the back to make Gabrielle’s latte, moving like the undead as he shuffled around.
> 
> “...I guess this is the kind of service you get at 3 in the morning.”

(K)Night Shadow looked at Gabrielle, as she was barely hanging onto the mortal coil. It was times like this that he wished he had himself his own Batmobile or even a sweet motorcycle-like Nightwing and Redhood. Since he usually flew everywhere, he didn’t need it, but the convenience of it would be appreciated right now. He couldn’t fly with Gabrielle, so until he could transport her, they had to hoof it.

She slumped forward onto the counter. God, she was so dizzy and numb and tired. Sugary caffeinated goodness, then death. A great plan. Just had to last until James or whoever made it. 

In the back of Ian’s head, he knew that this was bad and things were probably about to get worse. It’s never good when Bruce sounds like he did back there. 

**************

> “Zombie Boy?! Did she just call me a zombie?!” Jason shouted over the comms.

> “Oh, that’s the part you’re bothered by?” Duke muttered.
> 
> “I think it actually suits you, Todd.” Damian said snidely.
> 
> “But we were careful, we were always careful...how does she know?!” Tim was just trying to put the pieces together.
> 
> “Guys, guys! Calm down, we can’t panic right now!” Dick tried hard to keep order.
> 
> “Uh, having trouble with that right now…” said Steph.

Things had really hit the proverbial fan. Gabrielle, through means still unknown, knew the identities of the Bat-Family and they weren’t exactly taking it well.

> “Ian, keep her right where you are. I’ll put a slug in her real quick, nobody will ever know.” You could hear the sound of a pistol being loaded as Jason said that. A tidal wave of “no” washed over the airwaves in response. “Come on, I’m a professional. I can make sure it’s untraceable.”

> “Stow the murder boner, Jason. We’re not going there.” Dick told him.

> “Is it really murder when it’s for a good cause?”
> 
> “YES!!” everyone said together.

> “Look, she’s in bad shape, so we don’t exactly have time on our hands here,” Ian spoke up. “We need to get her help and then we can-” suddenly there was one more on the line, and he was not happy.

> “This is Batman, what’s the situation?” He said firmly. Even without any ability to see him, you could tell just how intimidating he was.

> “Uh...oh! Bludhaven’s calling, I better go.” Dick got off the comms in a hurry.

> “Yeah, I gotta go too!” Tim was next to go. 

> “Same here, me and Cass were going to a movie.”

> “We were…?”

> “Yes, Cass! Right now actually, bye!” Steph and Cassandra left together.

> “Uh...I’m going through a tunnel...can’t...get….ssssshhhhrrk….” Duke made fake static noises before he hung up.

> “I’ll let Ian explain it to you, Bruce.” Kate left, throwing Ian into the spotlight.

> “I’ll be honest. I just don’t want to be on this call right now. Good luck, Ian.” and Jason left too.

There was no word for Damian at all, which almost certainly meant he hung up as soon as Batman got on the line.

> “Seriously, guys?”
> 
> “What happened?” Bruce asked again, he wasn’t nearly as pissed off sounding like Ian knew he could be, but there was still an aggressive undertone in his voice.

> “Hey….Batman...soooooo...the thing about secrets is...well, they can only be so airtight and uh...well, you know they say the truth will set you free! I mean, not in every case, mind you...but most of them...some of them.

Gabrielle forced to open her eyes at the sound of Ian's panic. Batman? Ha, Brucie finally decided to grace all with his presence.

> "Brucie!" She singsonged cheerfully. 

> “....she knows.” Bruce’s voice had a small amount of annoyance to it now.
> 
> “Bruce...I know what you’re going to say, but it gets worse!”
> 
> “Ian…”
> 
> “The Penguin beat her to near death and I saved her, but I don’t think she told them anything…”
> 
> “Ian…”
> 
> “I just need to get her treatment. But seriously, Bruce, I’m kinda freaking out right now and-”
> 
> “Ian!” he shouted, finally breaking through Ian’s panicked rambling.
> 
> “Yes?”
> 
> “Bring her back to the cave. Agent A will take care of her.”
> 
> “Uh...you sure that’s a good idea?”
> 
> “She already knows everything, it’s not like bringing her there will make things any worse.”
> 
> “Uh...guess you got a point…”
> 
> “I’ll have the Batmobile rendezvous at your location. We’ll discuss this further when you bring her here. Batman out.”
> 
> “Wait, I forgot to tell you about the w-...and he hung up.” Ian got off the comms.

> Gabrielle stared at Ian, her face unreadable, her eyes unfocused. "So...what did the big bad bat say?"
> 
> “...We’re going to make a quick stop before heading to a more… _secure_ location.”

He told her trying to gain the confidence back in his voice. That was way less painful than he thought it would be, but that Bruce was the calm before the storm. He was in less of a good mood than usual, someone learning all your secrets would do that to you. Still unable to fly, Ian knew they had to get to the street level to get to the Batmobile, gently too given Gabrielle’s condition.

> “Hey, do you want coffee?”

*************

> “Here’s your iced latte...do you have a membership card with us?” Lucas asked, coffee in hand, bloody fifty in the other. His face still had that look of being dead inside.

> “...No.” (K)Night Shadow answered him.
> 
> “Okay...your change is-”
> 
> “You know what, keep it. You earned it.”
> 
> “...eh…” Lucas shrugged and put the latte in Gabrielle’s hand, who in turn chugged it. Or at least attempted to. A good amount spilled down her shirt due to her broken fingers and shaky hands. “Have a good night, Batman…”
> 
> “....I’m not…” he sighed and rubbed his forehead through the mask. “Whatever, nevermind…” he tried to keep the sweet drink steady in Gabrielle’s hand. All they had to do now was wait. “How’re you holding up?”
> 
> She gave him a look. That was a stupid question. "How long until it gets here?" 
> 
> “A few minutes, the car should be tracking my suit remotely ...I should know, I helped build its receiver.” it was an awkward attempt to make conversation, they had to kill time somehow and it would help her stay awake...hopefully.

> "Smart one, aren't you?" She finished up her latte and closed her eyes. 
> 
> “I try to be...hey, no napping. Come on, you’re almost home free.”
> 
> “Could you please not sleep on the counter, miss?” Lucas rudely added.
> 
> “Oh, that’s the part that bothers you?”

(K)Night Shadow picked her up again and started to carry her out. He went outside and looked down the street. “Crap service…ah well, our ride’s here anyway.” Within moments, a slick black car with distinct fins on the back pulled up. Even after the many different versions, he couldn’t choose a favorite among them. The wheels, the engine, and of course, the gadgets. The Batmobile was the car mechanics like Ian dreamed of, no matter what form it comes in. The doors opened, revealing there was no driver inside, Ian set Gabrielle down on the passenger’s side.

She groaned lightly as he set her down. The leather of the Batmobile was cool and wow, did everything feels numb. She sunk into the black, grateful for the reprieve. Time was running out.


	7. A Deal?

Everything hurt like hell and the urge to puke up what little was left in her stomach was strong. The air smelled slightly damp and cold and she couldn't help the shiver that ran through her body. Where was she? Did...did she die? Was Charon waiting for her to give him a coin so he could take her across the river? Was this it? Faint murmuring floated to her ears. She didn't recognize the voices. At least, not at first. Slowly, but surely she connected the voices to Batman, the infamous Butler, and Ian. She couldn't tell what they were saying, everything was just a bit too out of reach, but she knew that they weren't happy. 

The stern grumbles filled with disappointment and the tinge of fear in every word reminded her heavily of her own mother. The only exception was that these words weren't slurred, murky with the taint of addiction. No yelling, no crying, no silent treatments for days on end. No throwing plates and blaming her for…

She drew in a deep, shaky breath to steady herself as best as she could as memories of the past few hours blended in with recollections of her past. She had a vague idea of where she was. The slightly tight grip of handcuffs on her right wrist came into focus and she slowly opened her eyes. Everything ached and the lights blurred, as silence filled the Batcave. 

> “I believe we should take it easy on her, Sir. The girl was badly beaten...,” the butler spoke with concern. Was it for her though? It seemed to be at least.

> “This is too important. If she knows everything about our operations there’s a chance others do as well. We can’t wait with that risk out there.” Grumbled the caped crusader. His impatience was abundantly clear, not to mention annoying to Gabrielle’s ears.

She turned her head, vision still slightly fuzzy, as she scowled in the vague direction of the caped furry.

> "Didn't tell anyone who didn't already know," she grumbles under her breath. God, her body felt numb and not in a good way. 
> 
> “She’s awake!”

That voice, there wasn’t a hint of authority and only a little confidence...was that Ian? He sounded different for some reason. His mask was off too, revealing his short dark hair and pale skin, pretty pale for someone like him anyway. As far as she knew, he was never seen much out in public other than his position at Wayne Tech. Did he ever get any sunlight at all?

> "I wish I wasn't…" She moved her right arm to rub at her face, only to remember last minute that it was handcuffed to…a gurney? "The fuck am I in?" She blinked rapidly to try and correct her vision. 
> 
> “Yeah try not to move too much, that brace is keeping everything...well together,” Ian explained. “A said two months rest but well…” He glances towards Bruce. 

> “Again, I advise we adhere to the rule of “Doctor’s Orders”, Alfred suggested. It fell on deaf ears for Brucey though.
> 
> "A-alfredo sauce?" 

> “Who told you?” The Batman growled. For many rogues of Gotham this would’ve been enough to get them to talk, not Gabrielle though, not her.

> "No one told me, you overgrown fat furry fuck. I figured it out." She closed her eyes to shut off the bright lights. 
> 
> “That’s a lot of ‘f words’...” Ian muttered softly.
> 
> "Did you have any of the good stuff? Ask Dr. Thompkins for advice?" 
> 
> “She knows about Dr. Thompkins too?” Ian looked to the patriarch of the Bat Fam.
> 
> “Then it’s not exclusive to just us, but everyone we know too.” Batman looked at her with a look of disdain, Gabrielle was unfazed. 
> 
> "Give the rodent a prize."
> 
> “You’re awfully chatty for someone in your condition.”
> 
> “Right, uh, speaking of doctors…” Ian picked up a bottle from the side table. They were painkillers, sweet glorious painkillers!
> 
> She made grabby motions with her right hand. "Gimme the good stuff, Nerd. Hand it over." 

> “Rude, but okay-” before Ian could, Batman snatched the bottle from his hand.

> “First, tell us what you know, then you get these.”

She opened one eye to glare at Brucie Wayne.

> "Wow, Brucie. I'm hurt. Truly. You have a defenseless girl and you won't even give her meds. Cruel, Brucie. Cruel. Wonder what your third? Fourth? Lover Vicki Vale would say to this."
> 
> “This does seem a bit too far…” Ian chimed in, but Batman didn’t break his glare even for a minute. To him, this was too important to worry about these details.
> 
> “I believe Master Ian is correct.” Somehow, effortlessly, Alfred snatched the pills away from the Dark Knight. “We should at least give her a meal first, it’s best that medications be taken on a full stomach. I’ll prepare something shortly, I better not find you treating our guest more rudely.” Alfred took the pills for safekeeping and went upstairs.
> 
> “I think we need a photo finish of that. That was really fast. I mean, Alfred just-"

Batman glares.

> Ian continues. “Right...interrogating, got it.” He looked at Gabrielle, his expression was way softer without that dark mask covering it. That’s probably why he covers the whole thing. “Listen, it’s been a rough night for all of us...you definitely more...so can you just answer a few questions for us? I swear I’m better conversationally than tall, dark and...really, really intimidating over here.” Was he playing _good cop_? He was! He was using that old routine...though making Batman _bad cop_ was obvious. What would his good cop even look like anyway?

She covered up her grin at the obvious ruse by frowning heavily. "Sure, Nerd. Ask away. But only you. If tall, dark, and stupid breathes too hard, I'm peacing out," she grumbles, eyes closed, breathing steady and slow. Ian turned back to Batman, who growled at the idea, but he wasn’t objecting. By the look of it, he was acknowledging this as the best way to get answers.

> “Uh, alright? You know you’re handcuffed right now though, right?” He pulled up a chair and sat down.

> "If you think I won't break my wrist to get out of this cuff, you're wrong." 
> 
> “Okay, but you don’t even know where you are or how to get out of here. How do you know we don’t have security protocols for these kinds of situations?”
> 
> "Oh, I'm sure you do. And it's not about getting out of here. It's about giving you information. I wonder if I bashed my head hard enough against this gurney if I could knock myself out." She mumbled tiredly.

She wasn't going to do that. She wasn't that obsessed about keeping the info to herself. A huge part of her wanted to brag about the research and how she had been under their noses the entire time, but she had to bid her time for the right, dramatic moment. Eddie and Selina taught her that. 

> “Okay, so you’re hardcore, got it. Let’s just get to the point then, how did find out about...all this?” 
> 
> "...Newspaper articles, stalking, working at Wayne Industries as a receptionist and intercepting calls. Putting together a basic timeline of events based on disappearances, or ‘overseas business trips’. Oh, and you lot can be pretty loud when on patrols. Doing silly things like letting real names slip. Oooo, especially if someone gets really hurt." She grinned viciously as she remembered something from last March. "That blast that nearly took Timmy's leg. All me. 'Tim! Tim!'" Her smirk fell off her face as quickly as it came. "Man, was that damning." 
> 
> “...Wait, you rigged an explosive just so you could get a reaction out of us?”
> 
> "Yup. It was never going to kill him, maybe maim him if he wasn't fast enough, but he did alright. I needed more concrete proof. Recorded the whole thing." She turned to stare at Bruce. "That scared you so much, didn't it? Reminded you of Jason. You were so scared of losing another Robin." She looked away, voice soft. "But I didn't care about killing you all. If someone else took the information and killed you, that was on them." 

Ian looked back at his boss if looks could kill...Bruce's glare would be the equivalent of a nuke to the face. He then looked back to Gabrielle.

> “Really not helping your case here…” he sighed, trying to keep his composure. Was this really the one that saved her? He seemed too different, too awkward. “Anyway...changing the subject, why? Why go to all this trouble, nobody just wakes up and says, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go figure out who Batman is! You know what, while I’m at it, I’ll learn who the rest of his allies are too! That seems like a great way to spend a Tuesday!’. There had to have been a reason.” 

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Truthfully, it was a mix of reasons. The cold bitterness of not having a hero save your family, even though he preached he was for all of Gotham. The fear and anger that blinded her when she came home one day from school only to find her mom, dead on their living room floor. The betrayal of being left alone in godforsaken Gotham, the crappiest place in existence. The numbness that blurred the months after her mom's funeral, working days on end just to cover the funeral cost. Of being kicked out of her home. Of stumbling around on the dirty streets of Gotham looking for a place to stay. The crazed drugged dream of leaving Gotham, of being free from the grit and grime of it all. Gotham's dirt had filled her lungs, blocked her veins. It filled her and she wanted, no desire, to be free of it.

> "I wanted out of Gotham. And it seemed like the most fun way to do so. Solving the mystery of who you all were. I even was mentored briefly by the Riddler, who totally knows who you are by the by." 
> 
> “Okay, let me get this straight, you wanted out of Gotham...so you decided to figure out who every member of the Bat-Family was...including teaming up with Riddler...wait, Riddler knows too?”
> 
> She scoffed. "Of course he knows! He might have worn green tights one time, but he's not unobservant. It's really not that hard to figure out who you are. It's just hard to prove." 

> “...In hindsight that’s a fair point.” Batman glared at Ian as he put the pieces together from her argument. “What? This is a learning experience, now we know better…” He then turned back to Gabrielle to continue the thought. “A-anyway...so you did all that to get out of Gotham...so I’m guessing you tried to sell the info to the Penguin then?”

> "Well...not at first. At first, I was going to sell it to Vicki Vale, but well, she annoys the hell out of me and every time she talks, I want to blow my brains out. So, selling it to a villain who was both desperate enough and stupid enough to take a deal from a nineteen-year-old was the next best thing."
> 
> “And that turned out well…”
> 
> "Ya don't say…. Look, I figured it would be an easy trade. But oh noooooo, Ossie had to be a stingy little baby about it, like he couldn't rob a bank for more money. Honestly, no wonder Two-Face kicked his ass." 

> “That said, it was between pay for the info or beat it out of you...yeah, that sounds like the right amount of cheap for Penguin,” Ian muttered under his breath. 

Gabrielle let out a breathy, bitter laugh and looked up at the rocky ceiling of the Batcave. She could see some bats resting up there if she squinted.

> "I wasn't going to give him all of it y'know. Hell, I didn't even carry the file on me." Her voice was soft, a whisper almost. 

> “We don’t exactly have a way to prove that. Still, knowing Cobblepott, he was going to take it all anyway.” 

> "Hmm. You know, working at Wayne Enterprises was interesting. I never knew that Oliver Queen was the Green Arrow until then. All you billionaires and your toys." 

> “Yeah, it’s something of a common hobby...you’d think some of them would hang out.” Ian put a hand to his chin and stroked it, the look on his face was that of someone trying to solve a complex puzzle. Soon it changed to realization. “Wait I’ve seen you a couple of times! I think you checked me in once or twice!”

> She grinned. "Probably. I snuck into Tim's office once. He was out on a coffee break and no one takes another glance at someone leaving files on someone's desk." 

> “Okay, so here’s the kicker, how’d you find out some of the others, like Cass and Duke were? They don’t exactly have as much of a public identity.”
> 
> "Cass dances sometimes with a small studio in the Upper West Side, Steph often takes selfies and post vids with her on her Batgirl Instagram, and she's made one or two appearances with Bruce himself. If you take in her height and her connection with Bruce, as well as some info from some very, very mean people, it's not that hard to put together. Duke, well, he's a meta, right? All bright and sunshiny. Also, he's one of the few black people that actively hang out with you all, which includes the Fox family, so Duke really isn't that hard to figure out. Again, it's really easy to put together, just hard to prove as a whole. Really, if you can connect people to Bruce, it's not that hard to figure out." 
> 
> “....Damn.” Ian sat back in his chair taking the information in. He paused for a moment before speaking again. “I take it you found out who I was, given my connection with Wayne Tech, my few appearances with Bruce, plus my status under his care?”
> 
> "Yup, plus some older goons remember a wannabe Robin, so…" 

> “I’m surprised they remember...I’m surprised anyone does. Most of the coverage about me back then was suppressed. Alright, then what about (K)Night Shadow? My presence isn’t exactly...well ...there?”

> "I followed you for a week. A week and a half, technically. It's not easy considering you're mostly aerial, but honestly, one carefully placed bug made by some shady people that I may or may not have stolen, and boom." 
> 
> “Wait, how’d you bug me?”
> 
> "I bugged your work table. A clumsy receptionist is overlooked."
> 
> “Ah...figures...I’m way too relaxed there. Probably why I fall asleep there so often…”
> 
> "You talk to yourself when you're deep in making something or in thought. You blab a lot." She grinned at him.

Once again, the Batman glared daggers at the young man.

> “Okay, so I may think out loud every now and then. It’s how I cope with some of the insane crap we do!”
> 
> "Honestly, the only person I didn't really come close to was Bruce himself, because he would know what's up the minute I came near him. So, I got other people to do it. Girl Scouts will do a lot to sell their cookies." 
> 
> “You bought Girl Scout cookies?” Ian turned back to the Dark Knight...devourer of the Girl Scout Cookies, apparently. “Better question, you bought Girl Scout Cookies and you didn’t tell me?! You know how much I love the Samoas!”
> 
> "What was her name?...... Bianca? No…. Brooke?...... Bridget! That was her name! Between your order and the one I made Riddler get, she made so much money that week." 
> 
> “Alright, hurt feelings and a lack of delicious caramel coated cookies aside...you got all that top-secret info, tried to sell it to one of Gotham’s worst, failed, and well, here we are. That sum it up?”
> 
> "Mhm. Met some people, stole some things, got punched in the face. It was a great time all around." 
> 
> “Right…” Ian looked at his boss, who was even more unhappy than before. Soon Alfred returned with a plate of food, which included a cup of water, a small bowl of mixed fruit, and a turkey and swiss sandwich.
> 
> “Here we are, a simple meal, but necessary.” He set the tray down where she could get to it. “I even brought water for your medication. Make no mistake I can’t say I trust you, but it would be wrong to keep you down here starved.”
> 
> "Awww. Thanks, A!" Gabrielle picked up the plastic spork, why would they even have sporks, and picked around her fruit. Methodically, she takes out the slices of orange, setting them down on the tray with laser focus. She takes the swiss out of her sandwich, rolls it up and stuffs it into her mouth. 
> 
> “So, you do...whatever it is you’re doing. We got some things to discuss…"

She turned to him with stuffed cheeks, eyebrow raised and waves him off as if dismissing _him_ from the conversation. She stared at the slices of peaches in the bowl, before quickly taking them out. Both Ian and tall, dark, and angry left the cave, presumably to discuss what to do with Gabrielle. It could range from keeping her down here forever or finding a way to throw her in a hole and throw away the hole. The ladder was stupid though, so she didn’t consider that. Arkham was too flimsy. Too many of Batman’s enemies are there and too many of them get out. There was Blackgate, but would Bats risk Gabrielle squealing to anyone with an ax to grind with him for a ticket out of there? Probably not. That just left this cave or the even more wild scenario, setting one of the more ‘Murder Friendly’ members of his family to deal with her. No, that’d never happen, he wouldn’t be able to stomach it. Batman’s many things, but never known for allowing the death penalty for anyone. If the Joker could live to kill, maim, and cripple another day, she would live too.

> “May I ask you a question, young lady?” Alfred broke the silence. “What do you plan to do now?”

She glanced at him, before looking away. Alfred Pennyworth, from what she gathered, was a truly good man, something quite rare in Gotham. With Bruce, it all felt a little fake, even if it wasn't. But Alfred was the type of good Gotham usually crushed. He reminded her of her father. 

> "Well. It depends on what the big, bad, Batman has to say about it. Then we'll see. I doubt I could escape, or even really leave Gotham. I know too much. If you were a different kind of Family, I'd be at the bottom of the bay by now." She sipped her water. 
> 
> “Perhaps, but with the information, knowing what it is you know, will you attempt this again or would you keep it to yourself? There are other means to leave this city you know.”
> 
> "But none of that would get me cash quick. None of that wouldn't leave me in debt." She let out a small huff through her nose. "But don't worry, A. I won't be selling anyone out. You'd know if it was me, ruin my life somehow. So really, there's no point." 
> 
> “In a hurry to leave, are we?” He could see right through her. Maybe it was her tone or maybe he was just that good after...god, like a dozen kids, but he could tell she didn’t want to be here, in this hellhole called Gotham anymore.

She gave him a look.

Soon, footsteps could be heard echoing off the stone walls of the cave. Ian and the Bat had returned. Batman took the chair Ian had, sitting himself down and looking Gabrielle right in the eye. Staring right back at him, a smirk on her face, Gabrielle tossed an apple slice into her mouth. 

> “By the way you talk, you make it sound like you could do better to cover our tracks than we can,” he spoke first.

She wasn’t expecting that to be the first thing out of his mouth though. She was expecting something more like, “You’ll never see the light of day again” or “I AM VENGEANCE, I AM THE NIGHT!!” You know, that sort of thing. Narrowing her eyes, she popped another slice of apple into her mouth, chewing slowly. She was curious, nervous, and annoyed that she couldn't see his stupid face. Not that she'd be able to read anything on it anyway. He was an amazing actor.

> "Maybe…Probably." 
> 
> “Probably, or you can?” He spoke more aggressive this time, that’s more along the lines of what she expected.

A grin slowly began to spread across her face as she tossed in another apple slice.

> "If I say I can, what will you do?" 
> 
> “You want to get out of Gotham?” Bruce finally took off the mask, revealing his real face to Gabrielle for the first time.

It could be because he didn’t think there was anything to lose from doing it, but that didn’t really make sense. He had kept his face hidden this whole time, even though he knew that she knew his name. So did it mean something that he only revealed himself now?

> “I may have an offer for you, but I need to know I can trust you first.”

Offer? Trust? What game was he playing? Was that why he revealed his face? Her grin became a frown as she stared at him, hazel eyes meeting blue ones. Her jaw clenched as her annoyance, her anger grew. What was his play?

> "Trust? You think you can trust me!?!" She couldn't help the ugly laugh that left her throat. "Okay, dingus. I'll play along. I would love to leave Shitstain, New Jersey. I would love to hear this pitch you're about to make. And I would love, just love to see you, _you of all people_ , trust me."

She picked up her glass of water and began to drink.

> “Then I want to offer you a job.”

She spat out the water in her mouth, in shock, and choked. Coughing, she stared blankly at him.

> "I'm sorry, what?" 

> “Yeah, that was my reaction too.” Ian butted in.
> 
> “You’d be working for me, doing PR for not just Wayne Enterprises, but also the Bat-Family. Helping us to stay more hidden. If you think there’s an appearance we should make, we make it. If you believe there’s a loose end to tie up, we tie it. Simply put, if you think you can do a better job at this than we can prove it.”

Was he serious? Good god, he was! That’s not the tone of someone that’s joking! Not to mention, Batman never jokes! She turned to Alfred.

> "Is…is he okay? Like is he on something? Did Joker hit him too many times?" She looked back at Bruce. "Are...are you seriously challenging me?!? Oh my gawd, what drugs are you on!?!" She poked his face, her disbelief evident on her face. "You're on something, aren't you?" 

> “You’ll be paid and in time, if you prove that we can trust you, then we’ll help set you up somewhere outside of Gotham. No questions asked.” He didn’t even blink, just kept that same damn stern expression. 

> "Uh-huh...Well excuse me, Mr. 'I Can Basically Buy My Way Out of Anything Cuz I'm the 1%', but that's too good to be true. Why would you, _you!_ , give me a deal that I would most benefit from? What? Are you buying your own info off of me? What's the catch?"

There had to be one. 

> “No, if I was bribing you, I’d already have given you the money. This is beneficial for both sides. We make sure that our secret stays secret and you get to leave.”

This was cunning, even for Bruce. He’d get to keep his little Dracula cosplay club under wraps and pay her for it. Still too good to be true though. Where was that catch?

> “Only one thing though, we’ll need to keep an eye on you. So, Ian will be something of a...chaperone for the time being.”

There it was. She stared at him, incredulous.

> "So...that dork...is going to what? Follow me around my warehouse? For how long?"

That's right. Bruce didn't say how long this would be. Ha! He thought he was so slick. She caught on. 

> “He’s going to make sure you stay on our side. Depending on how well that goes it could last a few weeks...or much, much longer. It all depends on you.”
> 
> “Also you know, I got my ways...and such…for keeping an eye on...I meant. Soooo...yeah.” Ian tried desperately to sound as cool as his boss was.

It did not work. Was this seriously the same guy who rescued her?

> She glanced at him, then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay hon. The grown-ups are talking. So hush up for a sec, would ya?" She stared at Bruce, face scrunched up, mouth scowling. "Look Brucie. I don't need one of your child soldiers to be up to my ass constantly. I'm a big girl and can take care of myself and ask your butler. I'm not going to tell your secret anymore. There's no benefit. I don't need your handouts." 

> “But you do want to get out of the city. I’m offering your best bet.”

She hated to think it, but he was right. Without a huge load of money, she’d be stranded here, either for the rest of her life or until the Joker finally fulfills his lifelong dream of killing Gotham’s entire population...there were a lot of other scenarios in between those two things.

> She stared at him, her face blank. "...Okay...okay. Fine. Fine! You win! Whatever, let's do this stupid thing." She finally looked away from Bruce, staring at her glass of water. 

> “Welcome aboard.” He replied dryly.

Did he make most of his business deals like this? Gabrielle shook the thought out of her mind, of Bruce in almost full Batman attire negotiating something like zoning.

> "So…..," she shook her tied up the wrist, "what about this?" 
> 
> “Ian can handle that.” Bruce tossed his little not really a sidekick, sidekick the key to the cuffs, who nearly fumbled it out of his own hands. 
> 
> "Hurry up, buttercup. Sleep is calling my name." 
> 
> “You’ll need these too.” Alfred handed him the bottle of painkillers before turning to leave. “I suppose I’ll have to set up a room for our distinguished guest…”

There was a hint of sarcasm in there, but despite that, there was no doubt Alfred was preparing a room for yet another young troubled child. He had experience, way more than anyone out there would ever guess.

> “Hold still…” The nerd undid the restraints and Gabrielle could feel a rush as mobility returned to her. She waves her splinted hand and hits him across the chest. Grinning up at him, she makes a grabby motion with her good hand. 
> 
> "Gimme the good stuff! Come on! I'm ready to knock out." 
> 
> “Ack! Fine...fine…”

Getting his breath back he gave her the pill bottle and all its wondrous effects. Oh, what fun those pills and Gabrielle were about to have. Opening the bottle with her teeth, she places the now open treasure on the gurney and digs into the bottle pulling out three pills. Popping them in her mouth, she gulped down the water and settled into the gurney.

> "If you try to wake me up, I will kill you."

> “Right…wait, I don’t have to take her to work with me do I?” he turned around to find that no one was around, Bruce had pulled off his signature ‘vanish before they finish the sentence’ trick...a rather rude tactic, by the way. “Bruce…? Bruce, I know you can still hear me! Bruce!!” his shouts only echoed through the vast darkness of the cave.
> 
> Gabrielle lazily chucked her glass in Ian's direction. "Shut up…". 

> “Well... it looks like we’ll be working together Gabrielle. So...nice to ‘officially’ meet you, I guess?” He held out a hand, with a soft expression on that pale face.

Too innocent looking to be in Gotham, and nobody was innocent in Gotham, she knew that for a fact. As her mind began to slow down, heading towards the sweet, sweet sleepy darkness, she smacks his hand, grimacing at his innocence.

> "Yeah, yeahhhhh."
> 
> “...So you know, make yourself at home.” He kept his hand dangling there in the hopes she’d turn around and shake it. She wouldn’t. That ‘boy scout’ stuff is better left to Superman.

> "Mhm. Shhhhhh nerd. Sleepytime." 
> 
> “You just going to pass out here?”

> "Yup…"

She thought she heard him ask something else, but as she fell asleep, his voice faded to nothing. Gold counting penguins and shadowy bats filled her dreams. 


End file.
